1 Dec 2025

Spate of youth crime in Christchurch

From Checkpoint, 5:25 pm on 1 December 2025

A spate of youth crime in Christchurch has police urging parents to get in touch if their child is missing in action, so they can avoid becoming a statistic. It peaked in May with 162 young offenders dealt with in just one month in the city. It's remained high since, with police dealing with about a hundred youth offenders a month. Canterbury Police District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill spoke to Lisa Owen.