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Shirley West Safety Snapshot

Canterbury, New Zealand

Police data to August 2026

Generates a printable report with charts & summary.

Is Shirley West safe? It has more recorded crime than most NZ suburbs. Shirley West has a safety score of 4/100, meaning less recorded crime harm per resident than about 4% of New Zealand suburbs, with 178 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. It is the #278 safest of 288 ranked suburbs in Canterbury.

The annual total crime rate in Shirley West is 178 crimes per thousand residents, making it the #278 safest of 288 ranked suburbs in Canterbury Region. The overall crime trend in the area has increased in recent months with criminal activity peaking in January 2026, July 2026, August 2026.

How the safety score works

Safety Score (NZCHI-adjusted)

iHow it works
4 / 100
Crimes per 1,000 residents
i
178
Regional rank #278 / 288 (Bottom 25%)
3-Month Trend
i
▲13.2%(worsening)

Offence breakdown · past 12 months

Based on total incidents. Police data to August 2026
  • Theft 84.8%
    Theft accounts for 84.8 percent of incidents.
  • Burglary 8.6%
    Burglary accounts for 8.6 percent of incidents.
  • Assault 5.0%
    Assault accounts for 5.0 percent of incidents.
  • Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion 1.2%
    Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion accounts for 1.2 percent of incidents.
  • Sexual Offences 0.4%
    Sexual Offences accounts for 0.4 percent of incidents.
View full safety overview for Shirley West ›

Shirley West Demographics

2023 Census data

Loaded live from the API for this suburb.

Population

4,284

Households

1,557

Median income

$78,065

Median rent

$337

Age distribution

Share of total population.

Age 0-14
840 (19.6%)
Age 15-64
2,850 (66.5%)
Age 65+
612 (14.3%)

Birthplace

Share of stated birthplace records.

Born in NZ
3,294 (77.5%)
Born overseas
954 (22.5%)

Ethnicity

Normalised to ethnicity responses (can exceed population).

European
3,159 · 63%
Māori
771 · 15.4%
Pacific
324 · 6.5%
Asian
582 · 11.6%
MELAA
117 · 2.3%
Other
63 · 1.3%

Home tenure (as stored)

Normalised to stated total when present.

Owned
3,186 · 99.5%
Not owned
1,776 · 55.5%
Other
249 · 7.8%

Household composition

Normalised to household composition total.

One family
990 (21.5%)
Two families
21 (0.5%)
Three+ families
0 (0%)
Other composition
3,594 (78%)

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

FAQ

  • Is Shirley West a safe suburb to live in?

    Shirley West has a safety score of 4/100, making it the #278 safest of 288 ranked suburbs in Canterbury Region. 93% of recorded crime is property crime (theft, burglary, fraud or damage).

  • What is the crime rate in Shirley West?

    The annual crime rate in Shirley West is 178 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.

Crime heatmap for Shirley West

For deeper suburb insights visit CrimeStats.co.nz

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