Mike Johnson: Police Assistant Commissioner on Auror flooding police with crime reports

Police systems used to track crime may be struggling to cope, with a growing number of reports coming in.

Auror is an Auckland intelligence platform used by retailers to give police information on potential offenders. 

It shows retail theft reports have doubled from 4000 a month in 2022 - to 8000 a month this year. 

Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson says the volume gives a good idea of the total crime picture. 

"We want to put together where there's prolific offenders, and deal with the other matters."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The software that retailers used to report theft to police
is so good that it's actually overwhelming police. It's called Aura,
and reports have gone from four thousand a month in
twenty twenty two to eight thousand a month this year.
Mike Johnson is the Assistant Commissioner at the New Zealand Police.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hey, Mike Gootta, how are you here?

Speaker 1 (00:16):
I'm very well, thank you. Can you guys investigate everything
that it's sending your way.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Look, we always have to prioritize all of the information
in relation to crime. Theft or shoplifting is absolutely or
retail crime is absolutely a key part of it.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
So how much do you think you get through if
they send you four thousand or in this case now
is obviously eight thousand a month, how much of that
gets wrapped up and investigated and finished.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Well, what happens with that is we make an assessment
on her. If there's lines of inquiry, then it gets
forwarded to district for further investigation and holding people to
account where we can. If there's no lines of inquiry
and that there is a percentage of that, then they
get assessed, they get closed. But like anything hither, if
this further information comes to us in relation to a

(01:06):
matter that we previously close, we'll reconsider it as well.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
It's about ninety seven percent that actually meets you evidential threshold,
isn't it.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
It's certainly well a high number. I don't have that
number in front of me.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
Oka ninety so of eight ninety seven percent of getting
over the threshold, which is much higher than it was
previous to Aura. And now you've got the team who
investigate this kind of thing with a backlog so big
it's got sixty six thousand cases in January backed up.
There's no way you're going to be able to get
through all this stuff, is there.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
So we're always prioritizing hither this is a good news story.
We want to know what the total crime picture is
for us, right and we want to series link. We
want to put together where there's prolific offenders and deal
with the other matters. Our jobs to prioritize to put
resources to the crime type in retail crimes absolutely in

(02:01):
that space. Just make a comment. The technology has changed.
We've always got to adapt to what comes through and
this is another example of that. And what you're seeing
is us pivot in relation to retail crime. We've set
up retail crime units you see city beat teams set
up with that presence linked to retailers, and then with

(02:22):
a national Retail Crime Unit investigation unit, which deals with
some of the aura stuff that comes through. There's a
number of other reporting lines or its absolutely a channel
and a significant one. But we also have the ten
to five online reporting front, counter reporting crime stoppers officer

(02:45):
discovered with the city Beat team, and then if there's
an offender present, we've also got the triple one.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Okay, wow, we've got really off topic. Hey, thanks, Mike,
really appreciate it. Mike appreciate a really in depth and explanation.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
Of how that system works.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
Mike Johnson, Assistant Police Commissioner. Let me just listen. Let
me just totally explain to you what he just said. No,
they're not going to be able to investigate everything that
retailer is ascending them.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
There is too much for more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive.
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