Sydenham Central

Christchurch City•Canterbury Region
Police data to:

Safety Score (12-month average)

0

–

Crime rate

1,854.7 per 1,000

Population 234

Total crimes (past 12 months)

434

Trend (last 3 months)

▼ 40.3%

vs previous 3-month period

Regional rank

#11 / 331

Top 3%

About this rate: About 234 people live in Sydenham Central, fewer than the 500 we need for a rate per 1,000 residents to be a fair comparison, so the rate is not a reliable guide to the risk for someone living here. Compare the number of offences instead. How this works

Safety Score (NZCHI)

Police data to August 2026

Sydenham Central Overview

Crime Count
No data
0
20
50
100
Assault
Sexual offences
Robbery, blackmail, and extortion
Burglary
Theft

Most common offences by count were theft (73.5%), burglary (17.5%), and assault (7.8%). Percentages show share of offence counts in the selected time frame.

Crime Summary

The annual total crime rate in Sydenham Central is 1854.7 crimes per thousand residents, placing it at rank 11 within Canterbury Region. The overall crime trend in the area has decreased in recent months with criminal activity peaking in Oct 2025, Jan 2026, Mar 2026.

Crime activity peaked in October 2025, January 2026, and March 2026.

Sydenham Central crime statistics: common questions

Is Sydenham Central safe?

Sydenham Central recorded 434 offences in the last 12 months. It has about 234 residents, which is below the 500-resident threshold we use for comparing rates, so its crime rate per 1,000 people is not a reliable comparison with other suburbs. Judge it on the offence count, not the rate.

What is the most common crime in Sydenham Central?

The most common offence category in Sydenham Central is theft, with 319 recorded offences in the last 12 months — about 74% of all offences recorded there. The next most common is burglary (76).

Is crime going up or down in Sydenham Central?

Recorded offences in Sydenham Central have fallen 40.3% 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.

How does Sydenham Central compare with other suburbs in Canterbury Region?

Sydenham Central ranks 11 of 331 suburbs in Canterbury Region by crime rate, where 1 is the highest rate. This is a ranking of recorded crime, not a safety rating, and it compares Sydenham Central only with other suburbs in Canterbury Region — not with the rest of New Zealand.

Where does the crime data for Sydenham Central come from?

Figures for Sydenham Central, Christchurch City 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.

Looking for a plain-English safety summary?

👉 See how safe Sydenham Central is on SafeSuburbs.co.nz