Auckland, Aug 13 (IANS): The city of Auckland has witnessed a surge in violent actitives in the past one and a half years, recording at least 232 assaults in May 2021, according to figures released by New Zealand Police on Friday.

More than 1,000 people have been assaulted in Auckland's central business district (CBD) so far this year, many of whom have been randomly punched by strangers, Xinhua news agency reported.

The New Zealand Police also said that violent assaults, firearms-linked crimes occurred throughout almost all Auckland suburbs from the north shore to Manukau in the south.

It was recently reported that a series of shootings in southern Auckland has left houses riddled with bullets and many people seriously injured.

More seriously, the violence was not only restricted to the public, police officers were also more commonly attacked by criminals.

Gary Davey, the Auckland Central Area Commander Inspector, told local media that at the moment around eight police officers were still with serious concussion-related injuries.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff believed that the violence upsurge in the city related to hundreds of deportees from Australia.

Hundreds of New Zealanders were deported from Australia since international borders closed during the last year.

Many people being deported have no family ties or connections in New Zealand. Some of them are gang-related or committed crime.

Davey believed that the increased violence also related to demographic change in Auckland's central area due to the Covid-19 lockdowns.

He explained that when all international students and tourists disappeared from downtown Auckland, more gang-related people could live in CBD apartments with relatively affordable rental fee.

Increased violence scared the average people, although the property price in Auckland region hit record high recently.