A youth leader is hailing community policing as a major reason for a fall in the crime rate in Counties Manukau to its lowest in 17 years.
Recorded crime in the region for the 2011/2012 fiscal year is down 9% on the previous year.
The number of homicides have dropped by 60%, public disorder is down 25% and attacks causing injury have fallen 15%.
South Auckland youth leader Efeso Collins believes the drop in recorded crime is due to more community constables.
He says the constables are often Maori or Pasifika and can speak the various languages used in the community, helping them to relate to young people and local families.
