Gisborne police stand firm on keeping some crime quiet

BY DIANE JOYCE

Police in Gisborne are dialling down the level of detail they provide the public about some crimes, but say criticism of their new media policy is a "massive over-reaction".

A decision by local police to stop providing detailed lists of overnight incidents sparked an outcry.

The lists were a rundown of every incident attended by police during a 24-hour period, ranging from false alarms to serious crime. Instead, police would choose what was relevant, believing that holding back information would make the community feel safer.

Gisborne Area Commander Inspector Sam Aberahama said police had stopped supplying the lists to other New Zealand newspapers several years ago.

The Gisborne Herald was one of the last newspapers in the country to receive the list.

"There has been a massive over-reaction by the newspaper. The current process of police providing information to daily newspapers is consistent throughout the country – except for Gisborne."

But Gisborne district councillor and former policeman Alan Davidson said any interruption to the flow of information from police to residents would be unhealthy.

He said certain information should be withheld for operational matters if releasing it endangered the public or jeopardised an investigation, but to do so to protect residents from bad news was not reasonable. He believed knowing what crime occurred in the neighbourhood encouraged people to take precautions to stay safe.

Grey Power's national spokesman on law and order and justice, Ray Reid, said people would not feel safer without information. "Any crime in the community should be made public. The public has a right to know what's going on in its community."

Catching criminals would make people a lot safer, not hiding the amount of crime.

Police national headquarters spokesman Jon Neilson said Gisborne's decision was not at the direction of the national body. Each of the 12 regions was responsible for formatting its own media policy.

Jeremy Muir, editor of the Gisborne Herald, said the move came "straight out of a communist handbook". "We strongly believe our careful reporting on crime straight after it happens helps our community know what is going on and allows people to play a role in solving crimes."

Police Minister Judith Collins said this week that unfavourable media reports on police conduct, such as car pursuits, had led to a lack of respect for the force.

That had encouraged attacks on police, such as the one on Tuesday on Hawke's Bay community policeman Alan Daly. He suffered a broken eye socket and suspected broken nose in the attack.

The "very vicious" attack arose from "a growing lack of respect for the rule of law, and all the attacks on police in the media and elsewhere doesn't help," Ms Collins said.

SPOTLIGHT ON OFFENDED

NZ Police figures for offences per 10,000 people:

EASTERN DISTRICT

(Gisborne, Hastings and Napier)

Serious assaults: 66.8

Alcohol offences: 52.2

Cannabis offences: 50.8

Sexual attacks: 6.8

Robbery: 6.8

Homicide: 0.1

NATIONAL

Serious assaults: 48.8

Alcohol offences: 23.2

Cannabis offences: 35.1Sexual attacks: 5.7

Robbery: 6.2

Homicide: 0.2

- © Fairfax NZ News