Quake stress takes its toll | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

Earthquake stress is being blamed for a rise in domestic incidents, minor neighbourhood disputes, and small driving incidents in south Christchurch, keeping local community constables on their toes.

Senior Sergeant Peter Laloli, in charge of south Christchurch's community constables, said officers had been attending a growing number of mostly minor disputes in recent weeks in this area and probably all of Christchurch.

There seemed to have been an upsurge since the earthquakes, he said.

"All I can put it down to is people's lack of tolerance. Some things they would have let go before and not worried about."

The incidents included "very, very, very minor road rage," he said.

"It's not people stopping their car and pummelling someone, it's more following them and saying 'you cut me off.' It wouldn't have happened a few months ago."

Police have also had to deal with disputes involved people parking in shared driveways, chainsaws being started early in the morning, and neighbours throwing eggs at each other.

Instead of one or two cases a month police might get one or two a week now, and they took time to resolve.

Community constables were being run off their feet.

Senior Sergeant Laloli said he suspected that before the major earthquakes and continuing aftershocks sent stress levels soaring, people would shrug off the smaller type of incidents that police were now dealing with more regularly.

"The issues were probably there before, but people were more tolerant. Now they are calling police at the first opportunity," he said.

"We're not dealing with neighbours from hell."

He said most incidents were able to be dealt with by community constables speaking to the parties involved. There had been no violent incidents reported and no arrests.

"People just aren't getting along with each other as they once did.

"There have been more minor incidents now than there ever has been."

Senior Sergeant Laloli said police had taken some disputing parties to mediation and others had indicated they would obtain harassment orders against their neighbours.

His advice is simple: Show a bit more tolerance.

Christchurch Women's Refuge chief executive Nicola Woodward said family violence incidents had increased across the city since the first major earthquake last September.

Refuge workers were also reporting a rise in the severity of incidents and an increased number of younger women entering the five safe houses in Christchurch.

"The earthquakes haven't caused family violence, but they have led to a significant increase in the factors associated with family violence," Ms Woodward said.

"Everyone has experienced more stress and uncertainty over the last 10 months."