Crime spreads in Canterbury

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Crime has increased in Canterbury towns as people flee the effects of the Christchurch earthquake, police say.

Child, Youth and Family (CYF) said households were struggling to cope with "very stressed families from Christchurch" staying with them, and police across the region had reported an increase in domestic-violence callouts.

Mid-South Canterbury area commander Inspector David Gaskin said crime had increased "across the board" in Ashburton and Timaru.

In the month after the February 22 quake there were 70 calls in Timaru directly related to quake-displaced people, he said.

Domestic violence and dishonesty and disorderly-behaviour offences had risen.

"Seventy offences makes a difference to the workload of the staff. We don't have as many [police] as they've got in Christchurch," he said.

Detective Sergeant Rex Barnett, of Rangiora, said domestic violence, shoplifting, alcohol-related offending and mental health-related callouts had increased.

People had moved to the area and houses were filling up as residents looked after friends and family, he said.

Officers had been to some domestic-violence incidents where as many as 13 people were sharing a house, Barnett said.

Constable Lois Williscroft, of Rolleston, said domestic violence had increased as the town's population grew.

CYF southern regional director Paula Attrill said families staying with relatives or friends were sometimes jobless, homeless and traumatised. "Couple this with household space and resources under pressure, and it's not surprising that tensions sometimes rise."

It was "no time to be stoic", and people should seek CYF help before they reached "breaking point", she said.

- © Fairfax NZ News