Waitao

Waitao recorded 14 offences in the last 12 months, a rate of 7.7 per 1,000 residents across about 1,812 residents. These are offences recorded by New Zealand Police, which reflect what was reported and recorded rather than all crime that occurred.

The crime rate in Waitao is 7.7 offences per 1,000 residents over the last 12 months, from 14 recorded offences across about 1,812 residents. A rate counts offences against a suburb's resident population, so town centres and commercial areas can show high rates because offences there involve people who do not live there.

The most common offence category in Waitao is assault, with 6 recorded offences in the last 12 months — about 43% of all offences recorded there. The next most common is theft (6).

Recorded offences in Waitao have fallen 75.0% over the most recent three-month period compared with the previous three months. This is a three-month comparison, not a year-on-year one, and short windows move around a lot in small areas.

Waitao ranks 145 of 157 suburbs in Bay of Plenty Region by crime rate, where 1 is the highest rate. This is a ranking of recorded crime, not a safety rating, and it compares Waitao only with other suburbs in Bay of Plenty Region — not with the rest of New Zealand.

Figures for Waitao, Western Bay of Plenty District come from New Zealand Police recorded victimisation data, published through police.govt.nz, and are grouped to Stats NZ Statistical Area 2 (SA2) boundaries. They count offences recorded by Police, so they reflect reporting and recording practice as well as underlying offending.