Is Auckland city a crime-ridden nightmare, or is it a perception caused by more apartment-dwellers congregating on the streets?

Offices and shops in Auckland are closing because they fear for their staff, but crime figures are decreasing from last year's peak.

Police minister Mark Mitchell held a meeting on Tuesday night, where frustrated Auckland residents and business owners expressed their concerns about CBD crime.

The head of Auckland's central business association says she's relieved the police commissioner has finally admitted the city was abandoned by police during lockdown.

Today's episode of The Detail looks at what's behind the fears for safety in our biggest city, after constant complaints around crime hit the headlines. Police minister Mark Mitchell held a meeting on Tuesday night, where frustrated residents and business owners expressed their concerns to him.

Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck says the reports of crime are "devastating".

"Particularly because we've seen a significant change since Covid in the environment of the city centre," she tells The Detail.

"We lost 90 percent of our customer facing trading overnight, we lost major events... it was a massive impact, I lived and worked through it, I could see it with my own eyes.

"Initially through those lockdown periods, crime actually dropped. It went up and down and then it took off. We tracked it and we recognised that we, first and foremost for crime, needed more police - a stronger presence on the street.

"This morning, I heard one clip where the police commissioner said that the city centres had been deserted - abandoned I think was the word - through Covid. That was the first time I've heard an acknowledgement from someone in a position like that.

Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck says the reports of crime are "devastating" that won't just be fixed with more police on the street.

"We recognised we needed more police, we could see there were social issues... and the influx of emergency housing and that needed to be managed better and people needed wrap around support. That was something we lobbied for early on - it hasn't happened in the way we hoped, but it's important what happens from now."

The Detail also talks to Auckland University senior lecturer in urban planning Tim Welch about safe city theories.

He says cities around the world became "donut shaped" after the expansion of suburbia in the 1960s…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details