Crime in Whangarei continues to fall, according to police, despite some events gaining high publicity.

Just one car was stolen during a fortnight in April, says Whangarei Kaipara area commander inspector Paul Dimery. This compares to 1039 car conversions in Northland last year - an average of 20 a week.

In a report to the Whangarei District Council, Mr Dimery says crime statistics are down compared to the previous year for the fifth month in a row.

For March, motor vehicle crime was down 43 percent, theft from cars was down 34 percent, burglaries from buildings were down 33 percent and violent attacks down 2 percent, he says.

Family violence increased 12 percent but Mr Dimery puts this down to greater reporting.

Mr Dimery says the figures show an obvious downward trend of crime in Whangarei and he does not believe there is a problem with under-reporting.

"I’m satisfied the confidence in police is high so people are coming to the police," he says.

Unfortunately, a small number of events gain high publicity, he says.

"The problem seems to be that our criminals know where our tourists are, which means when you have offences they seem to be reasonably high profile."

Mr Dimery says police are focusing on liquor licensing and alcohol offences to try and reduce violent crime.

Road policing and drunk drivers also continue to be a problem in Whangarei, he says. "There continues to be lots of drunk drivers on our roads."