Hoon Hay Community Association chairman Alastair Berney said residents have experienced more crime - particularly vehicle break-ins - than usual recently.
Senior Sergeant Roy Appley said he is not sure which crimes had occurred most often in the suburb, but thefts from vehicles, burglaries, neighbourhood disputes and anti-social driving/boy racing have been frequently reported across Christchurch.
Concerned residents, police and neighbourhood support representatives have now been invited to attend the meeting, which has been organised by Wigram MP Megan Woods.
It is scheduled for Thursday at 6pm in the Hoon Hay Community Centre.
However, he said it is important to meet with the community to encourage people to report crime and give police a more accurate picture of when and where it is happening.
“Not reporting crime, for me, is actually good because it keeps crime down, but it’s bad in the respect of we don’t actually know what the true picture is, so we can’t commit more resourcing to an area if we don’t know,” said Senior Sergeant Appley.
However, Mr Berney said: “There are pockets where I think the crime rate has gone up a wee bit."
Senior Sergeant Appley said the ideal outcome of the meeting for police is to reassure residents "as to what the police are doing in their area."
"Secondly, that we actually discover everything that we need to know about that area.
"And thirdly, that we might go on to look for solutions that will resolve the issues raised, which also might include community solutions, not just police solutions.”
- To attend the meeting, phone or email Megan Woods’ office on 338 6347 or megan.woodsmp@parliament.govt.nz.
