Blessen Tom
Auckland, September 11, 2024
Members of the Indian community in South Auckland have revealed increasing concern about safety in the region.
Latest NZ Police statistics showed that 9023 crimes were reported in the South Auckland suburbs of Takanini, Papakura, Papatoetoe, Manurewa and Manukau Central in the first eight months of the year – a 7.8% increase compared to the same period last year.
Manukau Central topped the list, with 2756 crimes reported, followed by Takanini (2114) and Papakura (1799).
In January, police arrested a 30-year-old man after committing five burglaries in one night on the same South Auckland street in Takanini.
In June, a business owner was seriously injured after being struck in the head with a hammer during a vicious aggravated robbery in Papatoetoe.
Noticeable increase in crime
Manu Joseph, 45, said crime in South Auckland had noticeably increased over the 10 years he had been living in the region.
“I have been in situations where the store I was shopping in got robbed,” Joseph said. “It was a horrible experience.”
Joseph recently relocated from Papatoetoe to a new home in Takanini, a move partly prompted by increasing crime in his former neighbourhood.
“It used to be very safe back in the day,” Joseph said.
“[But] there are too many ram raids, and you feel less and less safe,” he said. “I am careful when I go to fill up petrol these days.”
Joseph was sad to see many small businesses in South Auckland protected by steel cages.
His rental property in Papatoetoe was robbed in 2018, with the perpetrators cleaning out the house.
He subsequently installed cameras to monitor the property, noting that many surrounding households had done the same to protect their homes and vehicles in the driveway.
“That was the only robbery I experienced, but safety in general is now a concern for me,” he said.
In the first eight months of the year, 68,960 crimes were reported in the greater Auckland region, including assault, burglary and theft.
Theft accounted for 72% of the cases reported, followed by burglary at 17% and assault at 9%.
Over the same period last year, 77,003 crimes were reported.
George Scaria, 32, has been living in the South Auckland suburb of Manurewa since 2020.
He said every street in South Auckland was different, with a mixture of good and bad areas.
Although he believed the neighbourhood he lived in was relatively safe, he had heard about crime reported in other parts of the suburb.
“We had a mugging in Manurewa where a person leaving an ATM was beaten and robbed, and then there was a drug bust in a house close by,” he said. “One of my friend’s cars was also broken into.”
Scaria had also installed security cameras outside his home after his neighbour’s car was stolen.
He was also worried about free-roaming dogs in the area, especially with schools and child-care facilities nearby.
“We are doing okay here,” Scaria said. “But if I get an opportunity to move, I would move to a better neighbourhood.”
Attack on Businesses
Jaspreet Kandhari, general secretary of the New Zealand Indian Business Association and resident of South Auckland, said businesses were most often targeted by criminals, with knock-on effects subsequently impacting the wider community.
“I have heard many stories of houses being broken into and cars being stolen in many parts of Manurewa, particularly surrounding some of the state housing locations,” Kandhari said.
Joseph agreed that South Auckland had good and bad areas but felt much safer in his new neighbourhood.
“South Auckland is a diverse and vibrant community, and no one should feel unsafe living here,” he said.
Blessen Tom is a Journalist at Radio New Zealand. The above report and pictures have been published under a Special Agreement with www.rnz.co.nz
