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Christchurch Central-West Safety Snapshot

Canterbury, New Zealand

Police data to August 2026

Generates a printable report with charts & summary.

Is Christchurch Central-West safe? It has more recorded crime than most NZ suburbs. Christchurch Central-West has a safety score of 2/100, meaning less recorded crime harm per resident than about 2% of New Zealand suburbs, with 315 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. It is the #287 safest of 288 ranked suburbs in Canterbury.

The annual total crime rate in Christchurch Central-West is 315 crimes per thousand residents, making it the #287 safest of 288 ranked suburbs in Canterbury Region. The overall crime trend in the area has remained the same in recent months with criminal activity peaking in December 2025, April 2026, August 2026.

How the safety score works

Safety Score (NZCHI-adjusted)

iHow it works
2 / 100
Crimes per 1,000 residents
i
315
Regional rank #287 / 288 (Bottom 25%)
3-Month Trend
i
▼9.9%(improving)

Offence breakdown · past 12 months

Based on total incidents. Police data to August 2026
  • Theft 66.1%
    Theft accounts for 66.1 percent of incidents.
  • Burglary 14.4%
    Burglary accounts for 14.4 percent of incidents.
  • Assault 12.8%
    Assault accounts for 12.8 percent of incidents.
  • Sexual Offences 4.7%
    Sexual Offences accounts for 4.7 percent of incidents.
  • Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion 1.9%
    Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion accounts for 1.9 percent of incidents.
View full safety overview for Christchurch Central-West ›

Christchurch Central-West Demographics

2023 Census data

Loaded live from the API for this suburb.

Population

1,188

Households

591

Median income

$102,644

Median rent

$460

Age distribution

Share of total population.

Age 0-14
87 (7.3%)
Age 15-64
948 (79.8%)
Age 65+
162 (13.6%)

Birthplace

Share of stated birthplace records.

Born in NZ
693 (58.9%)
Born overseas
483 (41.1%)

Ethnicity

Normalised to ethnicity responses (can exceed population).

European
909 · 70.8%
Māori
69 · 5.4%
Pacific
21 · 1.6%
Asian
231 · 18%
MELAA
45 · 3.5%
Other
9 · 0.7%

Home tenure (as stored)

Normalised to stated total when present.

Owned
1,026 · 100%
Not owned
747 · 73.2%
Other
72 · 7.1%

Household composition

Normalised to household composition total.

One family
276 (15.9%)
Two families
3 (0.2%)
Three+ families
0 (0%)
Other composition
1,455 (83.9%)

Demographic data sourced from Stats NZ , licensed under CC BY 4.0

FAQ

  • Is Christchurch Central-West a safe suburb to live in?

    Christchurch Central-West has a safety score of 2/100, making it the #287 safest of 288 ranked suburbs in Canterbury Region. 81% of recorded crime is property crime (theft, burglary, fraud or damage).

  • What is the crime rate in Christchurch Central-West?

    The annual crime rate in Christchurch Central-West is 315 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.

Crime heatmap for Christchurch Central-West

For deeper suburb insights visit CrimeStats.co.nz

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