Police have gone into information lockdown after the recent murders of women in Auckland.

It has been more than a week after the death of Joanne Pert and police have released no details about how she was killed, the weapon used, the possible motives for the attack, details of her injuries, whether they have any other suspects beside the un-nammed Mt Roskill man who turned himself in.

Operating in am information vacuum, the media have gathered information from Grey Lynn residents that the accused may have been spotted trying to break into houses the day before Ms Pert died, and that he is a ‘Pacific Islander’. Meanwhile, police have asked Remuera residents to hand over CCTV footage of the day Ms Pert was attacked. That they would have such facilities speaks volumes about the concerns residents in that area must have.

Other women were attacked that day

Morgan Tait of The Herald also learned of fresh inquiries into allegations of attacks on other women the same day that Ms Pert was killed, and that charges will be laid over at least one of the incidents.

Police widened their search in Operation Solitaire to the down market suburbs of Grey Lynn and and Blockhouse Bay, according to Anna Leask the alleged perp may have tried to break into houses in the area.

Morgan Tait has been unable to find out how many attacks there were or where they occurred, but reported the reaction from Ms Pert’s father.

Pert’s father, Kevin Pert, said he was “horrified” to learn there may have been other attacks on women the day his daughter died.

“We are just absolutely horrified about the whole thing,” he said. source

Murder of Cunxiu Tian A real whodunnit”

Meanwhile, police investigating the murder of 69 year old Cunxiu Tian in her Te Atatu home have also released very little information other than her name and age. they have described her murder “a real whodunnit” and are appealing for the public’s help in solving it, saying they “could not do it on their own.” The investigation has been named Operation Nepal.  source

The press learned from neighbours that police suggested at Henderson police station that Mrs Tian’s death was the result of “a robbery gone wrong“. As was the case with Ms Pert, the police have released no details to the media of how or where she died, the weapon used or possible motives. However, late on Sunday they did release the information that Mrs Tian suffered “multiple blows to the face and head area…in a vicious assault in her own home”

Earlier

Detective Senior Sergeant Roger Small gave little away about the specifics of Mrs Tian’s death.

He would not be drawn on where in the house her body was found, what injuries she suffered, her cause of death or whether a weapon was used and if so whether it had been recovered.

Mr Small said it was too early to speculate on the motivation behind the attack on Mrs Tian. source

Meanwhile, Te Atatu residents talk of living in fear and of an increase in burglaries in the area

while fear and grief stalk the garden suburb of Remuera:

“I just feel a deep sense of sadness,” says Susan Oldham, who now baulks at leaving the house for her regular walks.

“The futility of taking away someone who had a reason to be here, she had kids to bring up … grief is a bit like guilt, in a way. It hangs around.”…

…A middle-aged jogger spoke of regularly running in the Shore Rd area each morning – except on the day of Ms Pert’s death, when she overslept.

“I’m extremely upset about this, it was so close to me. A friend said to me ‘you might’ve been able to save her’. It’s certainly rattled me.” source

Ignorance is not bliss when safety is an illusion

‘Nelson Snippets’ Reveals Extent of Crime, Life in Small Town New Zealand (June 2015)

Emigrating to New Zealand because you think it has a low crime rate and a great lifestyle? Fancy living in the Nelson area? Warning, you may want to look elsewhere after reading this article.

We’ve known for some years now that police in New Zealand restrict the number of crime reports they release to the media. For example, this…

July 2010 GISBORNE police have decided to restrict the information on crime they provide to media in a move to “make the community feel safer”

Up until now, The Gisborne Herald has been given detailed reports of crimes attended by police, including burglaries, domestic violence and the arrests that make up our daily “Police briefs” But earlier this week area commander Inspector Sam Aberahama said comprehensive information would no longer be provided. He saw no benefit in “reporting all and sundry…”    source Gisborne Herald.

And we also know that “creative accounting” is pushing down official reported crime rates and the “system is played to improve crime stats. (link).

The problem is that now the NZ public are generally unaware of the crime going on around them unless it involves them directly.

A result of feeling safer is that people are more likely to fall victim to crime because they don’t protect themselves: ignorance is not bliss; e.g.  people are burgled because they think its safe to leave their doors unlocked, women are attacked because they think its safe to walk alone at night, tourists leave valuables in cars, etc…read on