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Timaru Central Safety Snapshot

Canterbury, New Zealand

Police data to August 2026

Generates a printable report with charts & summary.

Is Timaru Central safe? Its score is unreliable because few people live here: crime in a commercial or public area divided by under 500 residents gives an extreme rate, so it is not ranked.

The annual total crime rate in Timaru Central is 1,076.6 crimes per thousand residents. The overall crime trend in the area has remained the same in recent months with criminal activity peaking in December 2025, June 2026, August 2026.

How the safety score works

Few residents live here (261 at the 2023 Census). Crime in a commercial, industrial or harbour area is counted where it happens, so dividing it by a small resident population produces an extreme per-1,000 rate. Treat the score and rate here as unreliable; Timaru Central is excluded from regional rankings.

Safety Score (NZCHI-adjusted)

iHow it works
0 / 100
Crimes per 1,000 residents
i
1,076.6
Regional rank not available
3-Month Trend
i
▲8.9%(worsening)

Offence breakdown · past 12 months

Based on total incidents. Police data to August 2026
  • Theft 75.8%
    Theft accounts for 75.8 percent of incidents.
  • Assault 12.8%
    Assault accounts for 12.8 percent of incidents.
  • Burglary 7.5%
    Burglary accounts for 7.5 percent of incidents.
  • Sexual Offences 3.6%
    Sexual Offences accounts for 3.6 percent of incidents.
  • Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion 0.4%
    Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion accounts for 0.4 percent of incidents.
View full safety overview for Timaru Central ›

Timaru Central Demographics

2023 Census data

Loaded live from the API for this suburb.

Population

285

Households

141

Median income

$57,568

Median rent

$291

Age distribution

Share of total population.

Age 0-14
30 (10.5%)
Age 15-64
216 (75.8%)
Age 65+
42 (14.7%)

Birthplace

Share of stated birthplace records.

Born in NZ
213 (76.3%)
Born overseas
66 (23.7%)

Ethnicity

Normalised to ethnicity responses (can exceed population).

European
201 · 60.9%
Māori
54 · 16.4%
Pacific
39 · 11.8%
Asian
30 · 9.1%
MELAA
3 · 0.9%
Other
3 · 0.9%

Home tenure (as stored)

Normalised to stated total when present.

Owned
228 · 100%
Not owned
162 · 71.1%
Other
24 · 10.5%

Household composition

Normalised to household composition total.

One family
48 (11.7%)
Two families
0 (0%)
Three+ families
0 (0%)
Other composition
363 (88.3%)

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

FAQ

  • Is Timaru Central a safe suburb to live in?

    Timaru Central has only 261 residents, so its per-resident crime rate is not a reliable guide to safety and it is not ranked. Crime here is mostly recorded in commercial or public spaces rather than homes.

  • What is the crime rate in Timaru Central?

    The annual crime rate in Timaru Central is 1,076.6 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.

Crime heatmap for Timaru Central

For deeper suburb insights visit CrimeStats.co.nz

Nearby Suburbs