ACT Policing has continued to experience a decline in offences across the board according to the latest quarterly CrimeStatistics for 2013, which show a 14 per cent decrease across the ACT when compared with the same period in 2012.
Weston Creek led the way with a crime decrease of 39 per cent when comparing the January-March quarter this year with the same period last year. Offences in Weston Creek declined from 790 reported in (Jan-Mar) 2012 to 482 in 2013.
Tuggeranong also saw a significant decrease for the same period, with reported offences down 27 per cent (from 2226 to 1614). The first quarter decline continues a five-year downward trend in reported crimes and offences in Tuggeranong.
Of the seven ACT regions defined by the CrimeStatistics databank, the Inner North was the only area to experience an increase (1 per cent), with 2755 reported in 2013, up from 2720 in Jan-March 2012 .However, while the Inner North had a slight increase overall, it did experience a decrease in most other offences such as robbery (-81 per cent; 21 reports in 2012 to 4 in 2013), assault (-33 per cent; 183 reports in 2012 to 122 in 2013), burglary (-35 per cent; 162 reports in 2012 to 106 in 2013), and motor vehicle theft (-36 per cent; 77 reports in 2012 to 49 in 2013).
Like Tuggeranong, overall offence rates in the Inner North are trending down, decreasing 27 per cent in the last five years with 15,668 offences reported in 2008 and 11,369 in 2012.
Superintendent of ACT Policing Intelligence and Crime Prevention Cath Grassick said although it is pleasing to see most offences are continuing to trend down it is important not to get complacent when it comes to combating crime.
“Crime is cyclical and although we have enjoyed a positive result in the past three months it is important ACT Policing is ready to adapt and evolve in order to meet any new challenges which arise in the future,” Superintendent Grassick said.
“However, it is pleasing to see through collection and analysis of crime statistics the positive effect initiatives such as the Alcohol Crime Targeting Team and Property Crime Reduction Strategy implemented by ACT Policing in conjunction with the ACT Government, has had on crime in the ACT.”
“ACT Policing’s Crime Prevention and Intelligence portfolios also work to develop strategies on emerging crime issues in the Canberra community. For example, District Intelligence Officers allocate tasks to align with station specific priorities and identify crime ‘hot-spots’ which address issues at a local community level.”
The latest interactive CrimeStatistics can be found at police.act.gov.au.
[Courtesy ACT Policing]