A recent article in the NY Times caught my attention, it described a “troubling surge in Homicides” following Covid-19 Lockdowns.1 I was immediately reminded of a similar article in the NZ Herald following our L4 Lockdown that was referred to as “Murderous May”.2
Both articles described in detail how violent crime had risen dramatically following the restrictions, and although the US is clearly facing different issues, neither article could identify a cause for the sudden increases.
But lately I have been inundated with requests for help in self-defence training. And it’s those requests for help that act as a constant reminder that the ability to defend yourself and your family is a very important skill to have.
Last year I wrote a call-to-arms following the release of cycle 1 (2018–2019) of the New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey.3 And although the survey results were a sobering reminder, it was never the intent to spread doom-and-gloom, there was simply no way to gloss over the facts.
The second part of that report, cycle 2, has just been released.4 And as expected, the results are pretty much a mirror image. Of particular concern however, is the fact that this second cycle does not cover the Covid-19 period, but going by what has been reported in the media, we are likely to see dramatic changes to the prevalence of certain types of crime and the nature of crime in the next survey. From my own personal interactions with police officers, all indications are that interpersonal violent crime in particular, is peaking. The other thing that appears painfully obvious is the effect on these statistics following the significant reallocation of police resources.
Interestingly, if you factor in the statistics around the under-reporting of crime, with over 94% of sexual crime and 25% of all other crime not reported, it’s really not surprising that more people are looking at reaching out to take greater responsibility for their own safety, and that of their loved ones. After all, just because it isn’t reported doesn’t mean people aren’t aware of it.
But I urge those people to take care when looking for self-protection classes and advice. Because not all are created equal, and although I’ll skip a bunch of important stuff, I will say that credibility is critical. Not just in the system you choose, but also in the credibility of the people to whom you will pay good money to learn something that is supposed to help you when you or your child need it most.
Take that step, come and see us. We offer training that ticks all the boxes, whether you are an adult, teen or child. We offer peace of mind to parents, knowing their kids will need to navigate a different world.
NZKM, train with the best.