Ruth Money: Chief Victims Advisor discusses latest crime statistics, and what to expect in the future

The New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey reveals most violent crimes have been dropping in the past two years.

It finds the number of sexual assault victims steadily increased over this time.

More beat officers are being deployed in Auckland to act as a deterrent to crime.

Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money told Andrew Dickens that these numbers are highly volatile.

She says there's lots of high pressure times, like Christmas which can see an uptick of crime in the community.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So we've had an update from the government on its

(00:01):
crime reduction targets. One hundred and fifty six thousand people
we're victims of violent crime in the year to May.
Now that is bad news, but it's also good news
because it's twenty nine, twenty nine thousand fewer than when
the coalition took office and surpassing their twenty twenty nine
goal of twenty thousand fewer. So I'm joined now by
Ruth Money, who's the Chief Victims Advisor for the government.

(00:22):
Commodity Ruth Good Money down twenty nine thousand, but g
one hundred and fifty six thousand is still a lot.
What's that four hundred and fifty people of the victim
of violent crime every day?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, far, far, far too many. But it is good
to see that those numbers are declining.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
So the question is how to get the numbers down more.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Well, I'm giving some free stern advice around the sexual
violence stamily violence space because that's obviously a huge area
of criminality within our community. It's also really good to
see that we've got those extra police walking around, which
are causes for deterrence, so that's what we need. So
everything is heading in the right direction fingers and toes

(01:03):
crossed though, because there is still a pretty volatile kind
of number to look at. And also we've got some
high pressure times that we come through, for example, Christmas
for example, it's not a great time for crime and
pressure in the community.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
So it's great that we've got cops on the beat
and I get there and that's decreasing crime on our
high streets just by their presence. That's great. But I
was reading it and I came to the we're talked
about sexual assaults and it's sexual assaults are up by
three thousand and just the last three months of this
survey period. That's a worry. And now, is that because
we're getting better at reporting sexual assault or are we

(01:40):
getting worse at committing sexual assault?

Speaker 2 (01:44):
I actually think it's a bit of both. And look
that's just my experience speaking. The Crime of the New
Zealand Crime and Victims Survey actually measures and it's very unique.
It measures disclosed crime, so crime that's actually been reported,
but it also talks the people who, for whatever reason,
didn't choose to go through the process and disclose it legally.

(02:06):
So I think what you'll see is that more people
are talking about sexual violence and therefore there is a
level of comfort to talk about that it's happened even
though it hasn't been reported, So that will be increasing
our numbers in terms of I'm brave enough to report it,
but I'm also brave enough to talk about it and
not report It's there's a lot of nuance when it

(02:29):
comes to sexual violence.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
Well, there's always work to do. Crime, as we say,
never sleeps, and I thank you so much for all
your advocacy that is worth money.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
For more from earlier edition with Ryan Bridge.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
Listen live to news Talks there be from five am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio