Glenfield Stabbing Murder Tenth This Year in Auckland

The stabbing death of Paul Chong outside a workshop in View Road, Glenfield yesterday brings the number of murders in the Auckland region to at least 10 so far this year.

South African worried by the violence
Riann Twine who works on View Road told the Herald newspaper "Coming from South Africa I'm used to the violence. But I moved here to get away from this.

"I have been in this street for about five years. We have never had this sort of drama. But this is the second incident in a short space of time. A shop owner across the road was recently beaten up, and had to have facial reconstruction. It is a bit of a worry."

On average there are two murders a month in Auckland, these included:
12 January - Shooting in Redvale of Gene Patrick Atkins, concrete layer aged 28 years
20 January - 49 year old woman died in her Pukekohe home after 2 teenagers set fire to it
27 February - Sanele Sanato died in Middlemore Hospital following a serious assault
1 March -A prisoner at Paremoremo prison
28 March - 37 year old father of 4 Olo Fiti, 37 year-old stabbed in a vicious attack in Otara
8 April - 78 year old Indian immigrant Grandfather died following a road rage attack
15 April - Axe attack in Glen Innes killed a 55 year old man
6 May - 64 year old man stabbed in Henderson
12 May - A woman's decomposed body found in Western Springs

Update
Police have confirmed on 15 May that a homicide investigation is underway following the post mortem examination of a woman's body found in a flat in Warick Street, Western Springs. The woman, whose family is overseas, is thought to have lain undiscovered for up to a month. A 47 year old man has appeared in court charged with assaulting the woman and was later charged with murder.

The woman was later revealed to be Nuttider Vaikaen, the man - a 47 year old computer programmer - has been granted name suppression

Last year there were 21 known murders in the Auckland region and 58 nationally.

Bystander Shot On Motorway Following Handbag Theft

(from a lost post by Luthien)

Source: NZ Herald
A vehicle was stolen in West Auckland earlier today and used in a handbag snatch that went fatally wrong.

Following a high speed pursuit on Auckland's North Western Motorway involving the Armed
Offenders Squad a member of the public was was shot dead and another injured. At this time it is not known who fired the fatal shot.

20 police vehicles and a helicopter were involved in the chase which started at 1pm following a handbag theft in Titirangi.

A man has been arrested and a sawn off .22 rifle was found at the scene.

Back in Sept 2008 this blog highlighted the problem of bag snatches in the Auckland area. Link - Bag snatchers targeting women again

The Waitemata police carried out a series of raids on the homes of an Auckland-wide gang that was stealing handbags from the front seats of cars while women loaded their groceries into the boot.

At the time 9 men were arrested but police admitted that it hadn't stopped thieves from stealing women's bags and the spate of thefts continued in the New Lynn Area (close to Titirangi) all of which involved the use of stolen cars to make a getaway.

Woman killed in robbery June 2008

In June of last year 39 year old Joanne Wang (right) was killed when she was run down down in the street after her handbag was snatched at the Manukau Westfield shopping centre, her 8 year old son was with her and was traumatised after witnessing the appalling incident. News link

47 Bag Snatches over the Christmas period

Then in December police released released video footage of another dramatic handbag theft in South Auckland, showing a woman being dragged along the ground by her attacker. Over the Christmas period there were 47 bag snatches in the area. Link TVNZ

Police have said that it's becoming a big problem in the area and the criminals are targeting Asians.

These incidents suggest that the rule of law is failing in Auckland and the problem is beyond the the control of the police. It belies the commonly held perception that New Zealand safe place in which to live.

Good Samartian Stabbed in Auckland's CBD

Father of three, Austin Bernard Hemmings went to the aid of a woman who was being punchedby a man in the car park outside where she worked in Hills Lane, Auckland at 5:30pm last night.

The attacker turned on Mr Hemmings, stabbing him fatally in the chest.

Mr Hemming's family were contacted by paramedics who found their ICE number in his mobile phone, but by the time they arrived Mr Hemmings had passed away. The family then had a 20 hour wait before his body could be removed from the scene.

The Hemmings family had moved from Hamilton to Devonport 6 months ago when Austin took up a job as an IAG broker manager.

Police later arrested an 45 year old sickness beneficiary in the South Auckland suburb of Otahuhu.

South Auckland has long held a poor reputation for high levels of crime, many people are concerned that crime is out of control and spilling over into other parts of the region.

The incident has shocked many people and provoked outrage amongst many sections of the community. This thread was started on YahooNZ News:

NZ Has Gone To The Dogs

Source: news.yahoo.com

"By Ed's View

A hero is dead and it's official: this country has gone to the dogs.

Late on Thursday afternoon, 44-year-old Austin Bernard Hemmings did what any good decent human would do when he stepped in to help a woman who had been assaulted by another man.

He'd finished his day at work and was going home to his family - his wife and three children.

But he saw someone in trouble and helped out.

For this he is now dead and a 45-year-old sickness beneficiary who has name suppression is now in custody facing charges of assaulting a woman.

Further charges are no doubt due to follow, but at the time of writing this person was up on an assault charge.

This is downright disgusting.

And New Zealand has officially become a place where most people now live in fear.

The amount of child abuse, dosmetic violence, drug use, gang violence and murder is horrific.

There is no other way to describe it. It is appalling..........

New Zealand is no longer safe.

The police lack the ability to stop crime; they simply react to it after it happens.

They lack the resources to be able to do their jobs. For goodness sake, they have only just been given the "right" to use tasers to stop violent criminals. They can't even return fire at the people that are shooting at them with a taser!

Most criminals now carry weapons whether they're petty thieves, burglars, gang bangers out prowling or armed robbers......"

British Migrants Robbed

Source:NZ Herald, Monday August 25, 2008

"An English family who came to New Zealand to make a fresh start were left with only the clothes on their backs when their motel was burgled two days after they arrived.

Dawn and Conrad Tutin and their children Stephanie, 14, and Kiel, 12, arrived from Nottingham a week ago to begin a new life in Auckland, where Mr Tutin will work for Fisher & Paykel.

But last Wednesday, while they were out house-hunting, their room at the Takanini Motor Lodge was plundered of virtually everything they had brought with them.

"We were feeling really good because we'd found a house and we came back and felt the air rushing through the room ... The children were the first to realise what had happened," Mrs Tutin said.

The thieves took passports, visas, two laptops and photos as well as clothing.

Even cuddly toys made by friends and gifts for another daughter back in England were taken.

Mrs Tutin valued the loss at more than $25,000.

"It was heartbreaking. We'd just secured a home and then that happened."

The thieves are thought to have got into the motel room through a door that opens onto a busy road.

Some of the Tutins' belongings were found strewn outside, partly in a bedcover that was used to carry items away.

"We were just thinking, 'Why us ... why that particular place?'" Mrs Tutin said.

"Nothing from the motel was stolen, just our stuff - they were intent on stealing everything."

Mrs Tutin suspects their arrival back at the motel disturbed the burglars, and said that was just as disturbing as the theft itself.

They didn't spend another night in the room. Instead, they went to an inner-city hotel where they asked to be in a room off ground level.

"We just felt so vulnerable. The children wouldn't stay [in the motel] another night."

After the theft, the family had to go shopping for replacements - a mission none of them enjoyed.

"You can't go to one place to get everything you've lost," Mrs Tutin said.

They are appealing for anyone who knows anything about the theft to contact police so they can get some of their belongings back.

"We don't care about the clothes and stuff, it's just the sentimental stuff we really want back."

But the theft hasn't put them off living in New Zealand.

"People have been absolutely lovely," said Mrs Tutin. "It was just our bad luck."

"Luck" really didn't come into it, the family were staying in South Auckland, one of Auckland's warmest crime hot spots. Here's hoping that the remainder of their time in the country is more successful