Otawa

Otawa recorded 51 offences in the last 12 months, a rate of 24.1 per 1,000 residents across about 2,118 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 Otawa is 24.1 offences per 1,000 residents over the last 12 months, from 51 recorded offences across about 2,118 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 Otawa is burglary, with 20 recorded offences in the last 12 months — about 39% of all offences recorded there. The next most common is theft (17).

Recorded offences in Otawa have risen 53.8% 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.

Otawa ranks 97 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 Otawa only with other suburbs in Bay of Plenty Region — not with the rest of New Zealand.

Figures for Otawa, 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.