Police commissioner Mike Bush said police are focusing on doing more to solve burglaries.

Police have defended their efforts to solve burglaries, despite the percentage of overall crimes solved dropping below 10 per cent in some parts the country.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush spoke to the law and order select committee on Wednesday, where he was grilled on efforts to catch burglars.

Labour MP and Auckland mayoral candidate Phil Goff said he was concerned that burglary resolution rates in Auckland police areas had all dropped below 10 per cent in the last financial year.

"That means if you're a crook, you've got a 90 per cent chance of getting away with it."

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Goff said it was unclear what had been done to address the "deplorable" rate of solving crimes, despite former Police Minister Michael Woodhouse last year saying police needed to improve their efforts.

Bush said police were "focused on turning those [rates] around", and solving more burglaries was a priority for each of the 12 police districts.

While the number of solved burglaries had dropped, so had the overall number of house burglaries, which was positive.

However, Bush said one of the potential reasons for the drop in burglary resolutions was a change in how they were categorised, including more low-level offences.

"If you have your gnome stolen from your front lawn, that is classed as a burglary and that is not something that we will pursue with a team of investigators."

Goff disputed the claim, saying it did not match what he was told by his constituents.

"They ring up angry because their house has been done over, their personal possessions ransacked, and they know the crooks who did it are going to get away with it."

Outside the meeting, Bush said police knew it was important to victims that they solved more burglaries.

"If your house is burgled, then you do feel a sense of violation, so it's important with our victim focus that we do address that."

He expected staff to take any burglaries "absolutely seriously" and follow up all lines of enquiry.

Burglary resolution rates

Successful finalisation rate of unlawful entry with intent investigations by district in 2014/15:

Northland: 11.9 per cent

Waitemata: 8 per cent

Auckland: 7.2 per cent

Counties Manukau: 9.9 per cent

Waikato: 11.5 per cent

Bay of Plenty: 17.5 per cent

Eastern: 15.3 per cent

Central: 14 per cent

Wellington: 11.9 per cent

Tasman: 18.5 per cent

Canterbury: 11.9 per cent

Southern: 16.4 per cent

Source: Police answers to written questions from Parliament's law and order committee.