What Is The Crime Rate Like Where You Live
 

Hi, my family and I are in the process of deciding whereabouts in NZ we want to move to. We have decided that it will be somewhere in the North Island but unsure where exactly. Our children are aged 5,7 & 10 and the main reason for leaving the UK is the rising rates of crime. Pretty soon the whole country will be a no-go area.We are desperate to give them a new life in a safer, healthier environment. We want them to live outdoors a lot more and we are determined to get them away from the TV and games consoles. What do your kids get up to after school? Is it a better, healthier and safer life for them?Help us to decide the best place to move to.,from SHEILA

Re: What Is The Crime Rate Like Where You Live
 

Well on St Patricks's night someone stole our Irish car flag from our car which was parked on the road - never mind that I TOLD hubby not to put it out. It didn't make the papers though :p

Crime around us??? Very little :) There was a big cannabis plant discovery a few months ago in the bush near Glenfield - I saw it all lying out beside the road - more funny than frightening :D

There is more crime unfortunately in other, lower, socio-economic areas of Auckland but you'll find that everywhere and there seems more of a will to deal with it here. For instance, there was a spate of rocks being thrown over a bridge on the Southern Motorway and a young guy was killed. Within a very short time span there a barrier erected and it was stopped.

Re: What Is The Crime Rate Like Where You Live
 

Unfortunately there is crime in any city...a lot of it is gang-on-gang crime though, so unles you join the local charter of the Mogrel Mob you will not get too much of it.

But robberies and assults do occur, two tourists were bashed a few weeks apart in Wellington, there have been incidences of bullying at school, there was a armed standoff with police on an Auckland motorway yesterday.

While this may sound scary, I have to say NZ feels pretty safe, and probably is as safe as it gets for urban living really.

Just know that nowhere is perfect...

We live in Wellington

Re: What Is The Crime Rate Like Where You Live
 

Actually, one thing that’s bad is the domestic crime rate. The women’s refuge are in dire straits at the moment because of the increase in women needing their services and were appealing for help last night. I think that I wouldn’t be surprised if that incident yesterday in West Auckland wasn’t another such case.

Re: What Is The Crime Rate Like Where You Live
 

Lots of drug/gang related crime in NZ - plenty of property crime to fuel P habbits and I noticed a fair bit of petty vandalism in Auckland. No worse than the UK, but certainly not a crime free utopia either. The statistics are pretty much the same as in the UK. Unless you're unlucky you're not going to bump into it, and the streets feel pretty safe. Gang violence can be random and very nasty though - nothing like that in the UK at all. In my experience the gangs in the UK are teeny, hoodie wearing, gansta wannabes and are fairly harmless. Here they are 40 something nutcases and really not the sort you'd bring home to meet the parents.

The activity of choice for youngsters would seem to be hooning about in cheap, fast Japanese imports. And surfing :) Generally I'd say NZ is a better place to bring up kids, especially if you aren't too uptight about them experiencing life a bit.

What Is The Crime Rate Like Where You Live
 

There was someone’s post box beaten up, happened just around the corner, about 6 months ago.

Some hoons, don’t know who they are, went at it with a hammer.

Very unpleasant, the owner had to retire it and buy a new one.

A very sorry affair if there ever was one.

Still that’s one of the penalties of living in Murrays Bay, your post box has the potential to be murdered at the dead of night…………….

At least it made good firewood.

Re: What Is The Crime Rate Like Where You Live
 

OMG thats so terrible!! Are you sure it was a hammer? Did they find the murder weapon?

What Is The Crime Rate Like Where You Live
 

Yes SarahB

A very nasty episode indeed.

There were apparently hammer indents on the top of the box and the stem was broken, nay compound fractured into many parts.

What is even more disturbing is that it did not even get a whisper in the local newspaper, I even looked for it on Tele-Text, nada, zip, zilch, not even the briefest mention of it.


Don’t know what the world is coming to…………

What Is The Crime Rate Like Where You Live
 

And to top it all, I believe the owner went at it with an axe after the event!

Blimey what is the world coming too, first killed by a hammer and then mutilated by an axe!

Shocking...........

Re: What Is The Crime Rate Like Where You Live
 

Yes and kids watch tv and play video games in NZ too ;)

Re: What Is The Crime Rate Like Where You Live
 

We didn't have a colour TV until I was 12 . The old black and white set did not really do it for me, when there was so much to do outside.

Kiwi

What Is The Crime Rate Like Where You Live
 

Blimey thebears you must be about the same age as me, like you I did not see a colour television until I was about 11 years old, it was a Hitachi and it lasted for a further 20 years.

The old black and white was a Bush, when you turned the set off at the end of an evenings riveting viewing there used to be a little white dot in the centre of the screen, one would stare at this dot until it disappeared………we all led different lives in those days and amusement was very easy to find.

Strangely enough it nearly put me on the murderous road to snuffing post boxes, thankfully colour came along and salvation……..free at last……….free at last.