A victims' advocate says her experience is that there is more crime happening.
The number of people charged with non-traffic offences has halved since 2009.
The Herald analysis found between 2017 and 2022 the total number of people charged and convicted for all offences dropped by a quarter.
That number fell the most under Sir John Key's National party governments - and rose the most under Helen Clark's.
Victims' advocate Ruth Money told Mike Hosking recording practices keep changing.
She says if you're not measuring cautions versus charges, if people are only charged with lead offences the data can be manipulated.
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