Survey of Crime Released

The Ministry of Justice has released the most comprehensive victimisation survey ever carried out in New Zealand detailing people’s experiences of crime—from the relatively minor to the most serious personal and household offences.

The survey findings are relevant to the family violence field, as questions about offences by partners and well-known people were included.

Deputy Chief Executive of the Ministry of Justice, Sandi Beatie said that the New Zealand Crime & Safety Survey (NZCASS) of nearly 5,500 New Zealanders showed that there is no evidence of any change in the level of violent crime since 2000.

“The NZCASS concludes that personal crime, including violent crime, has not risen since the last survey in 2000,” says “This is consistent with the Police’s view that despite the latest Police Crime Statistics showing an increase in sexual offences and domestic violence recorded by the Police, there may not have been any underlying increase in real crimes of this nature” Ms Beatie said.

The survey showed that 40% of offences were not considered by the victim to be a crime, despite meeting the legal definition.

As with previous surveys, victimisation was highly concentrated. “While 39% of New Zealand adults experienced crime in 2005, the risk of victimisation was not evenly spread. But 6% of adults experienced half of all offences measured in the survey,” says Ms Beatie.

“Two percent of adults, for example, experienced 76% of all partner threats and assaults to themselves or to their personal property,” she says. “This information will continue to guide the delivery of services to victims of domestic violence.”
Around 18% of adults experienced a personal offence in 2005 and around 30% of households experienced a household offence.

In 2005, the risks of experiencing crime were consistently high for sole parents, students, people aged 15-24, those unemployed or on a benefit, people renting properties, living in the most deprived areas, Maori and Pacific peoples, and people whose marital status was single, de facto, divorced or separated.

Groups least less likely to be victimised were people who were retired, widowed, aged over 60, living alone, couples without children, and home owners (rather than renters). There were also low risks for people in rural and small urban areas. Some people in these areas have low socioeconomic status based on occupational status (New Zealand Socioeconomic Index) - rural workers for instance.

The survey also asked people for their views of justice sector agencies, including the Police and the Judiciary. Victims’ levels of satisfaction with the Police were similar to those reported in the last survey and New Zealanders’ confidence in justice-sector agencies and groups was significantly higher than in a comparable survey conducted in England and Wales.

The survey findings will be applied in the areas of crime prevention and reduction, services to victims, Police and Court services, family violence services, and the development of policy and legislation.

Ms Beatie says that further analyses will explore further why some sole parents are heavily victimised and others are not, provide insights into community safety, family violence, the main determinants of victimisation risk, information on the needs of victims, victimisation through e-crime, and the cost of crime to victims.

The NZCASS was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and led by internationally renowned researcher, Pat Mayhew OBE, Director of the Crime & Justice Research Centre at Victoria University of Wellington, James Reilly of Statistical Insights, and Charles Sullivan formerly of ACNielsen Ltd.

New standards in survey design mean the New Zealand Crime & Safety Survey 2006 cannot be fully compared with two previous surveys overseen by the Ministry.

A full copy of the New Zealand Crime & Safety Survey 2006 Key Findings report can be found at: http://www.justice.govt.nz/pubs/reports/2007/crime-safety-survey-2006/ke...