The article reports, “The number of murders in New Zealand dropped by nearly a quarter last year, while overall reported crime fell 6.7 per cent. Family violence continued to increase, however, according to the latest crime statistics. … There were 46 murders last year compared to 65 in 2009, a drop of 23.6 per cent. Across a 25-year period the murder trend remained flat. Within these figures, family violence murders dropped from 36 in 2009 to 25 last year. Kevin Kelly, the force’s acting development general manager, said sexual assault and related offending increased by 3.6 per cent in 2010 from the previous year – driven almost entirely by recorded family violence, which may reflect greater reporting.”
Read the full article at: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/4836358/Large-drop-in-crime-murder-rate
