One reason is being pinpointed for a rise in crime in Auckland's CBD.

More than a thousand people have been assaulted in the city centre this year.

Statistics show a 63 per cent increase in violent crime for the first five months of this year, compared with the same period in 2019.

Police Association president Chris Cahill told Mike Hosking there's been a clear change in demographic.

“The students have gone, the backpackers from overseas have gone, and the city’s been filled with emergency housing and clearly that’s having a big impact on crime.”

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