Dowie Sarah: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDowie Sarah: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 21 October 2015. Volume:709;Page:7419. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.SARAH DOWIE (National—Invercargill) to the Minister of Justice: What recent evidence has she received on trends in the New Zealand crime rate?Hon AMY ADAMS (Minister of Justice): Several recent statistics all paint a clear picture that under the National-led Government crime in New Zealand is falling. Among the recent results were the conviction and sentencing figures released by Statistics New Zealand last year. [Interruption] Listen up—you might learn something. These show encouraging trends with the number of the adults—[Interruption] When they are ready. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! The level of interjection is unacceptably loud. I will have to look for somebody to expel from the Chamber as a means of trying to get some cooperation. I hope that it is not—Chris Hipkins: It won’t be me.Mr SPEAKER: I appreciate the assurance from Chris Hipkins. Amy Adams continue with the answer.Hon AMY ADAMS: The Statistics New Zealand statistics show encouraging trends with the number of adults who appeared in court now down 36 percent since its peak in 2009-10 and the number of young people down 61 percent since 2007-08. Reductions are seen across all genders ethnicities and age groups and show the real improvements in safety that this Government’s focus on reducing crime is producing. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! That is the last warning I will give to Sue Moroney in this question time.Sarah Dowie: How do these results align with the Government’s Better Public Services targets?Hon AMY ADAMS: Our Better Public Services targets track statistics different from the Statistics New Zealand figures yet they also show a consistent result of falling crime. Our latest Better Public Services results released in September show that since June 2011 we have achieved a 17 percent reduction in total crime a 39 percent reduction in youth offending and a 10 percent reduction in violent offending. What this means is that under National fewer New Zealanders are ending up as victims of crime.Sarah Dowie: What gives her confidence that these figures truly represent a drop in crime rather than changes in reporting or recording practices?Hon AMY ADAMS: These positive results are confirmed by yet a third source the New Zealand Crime and Safety Survey. This survey looks at the way people experience all crime not just crime that is reported to the formal justice system. It shows a similar trend to other statistics estimating a 30 percent drop in crime or up to 800000 fewer crimes each year since the survey was last undertaken in 2008. These figures once more reinforce that this Government is delivering on its promise to create a safer New Zealander.Jacinda Ardern: Does she think it is acceptable that overall the crime resolution rates have declined since 2008 including sexual assault resolution rates which have dropped from 64 percent in 2008 to 47 percent in 2014?Hon AMY ADAMS: Of course we would want all cases to be resolved and as the member knows we have made—and I have made—it a priority to ensure that the treatment of sexual assault cases and domestic violence cases is improved considerably in the court system. The fundamental and final decisions are made between the Crown prosecution service and the judiciary and I am not going to engage in settling or trying to resolve any cases—that would be constitutionally quite inappropriate.