Page 242 - Week 01 - Thursday, 18 February 1993
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There is clear evidence that crime rates are increasing much faster than our population growth, and there is also clear evidence that police services are being reduced. One only has to look at the AFP's figures released yesterday in the annual report on policing in the ACT to see that crime rates in Canberra are a serious matter. Let us look at the statistics - not our statistics, but the statistics released yesterday in the report handed out by the Minister. Total crime in Canberra, Mr Deputy Speaker, including all offences, is up by 15 per cent, from 23,165 reported cases to 26,867. Property damage has jumped by 18.3 per cent, from 5,024 reported cases to 5,947. Total burglary and theft is up by 12.4 per cent, from 16,324 cases to 18,360.
Total offences against the person have risen by 43 per cent, from 857 cases to 1,233 in one year. Armed robbery has increased over the year by 47 per cent, and burglary by 13 per cent, from 4,448 reported cases last year to 5,030 cases this financial year. The use of firearms and weapons in criminal activities is up by 36.7 per cent, from 87 cases last year to 119 cases this year. Fraud and misappropriation has increased by a massive 100.2 per cent, up from 422 to 847. Motor vehicle theft is up again by 13.7 per cent. Shop stealing has jumped by 22.3 per cent. Arson is up by 9.1 per cent. Assault, excluding sexual assault, is up by 37.6 per cent. Assault causing grievous bodily harm or actual bodily harm is up by 28 per cent. Sexual assaults are up by an alarming 141 per cent, from 58 reported cases last year to 140 cases this year. Indecent exposure is up by 10.9 per cent, from 73 reported cases to 81.
Mr Deputy Speaker, some of these increases are statistically small and cannot be drawn upon to prove anything by themselves, but they are the exception. Most of these figures are large and are statistically significant. The trend is clearly revealed in the total figures for rises in property damage, offences against the person and total crime in Canberra. That last figure shows a rise of 15 per cent in one year. No other Australian community, Mr Deputy Speaker, is experiencing rises of that kind. We should be the last city to be cutting back on policing, not the first. Mr Deputy Speaker, these figures are very disturbing, even more so when you consider that not all crime is reported. Remember that the ACT's population grew by only 3 per cent over the last year. In other words, crime is rising at five times the rate of our population growth.
In Canberra there are, on average, 50 instances of burglary, fraud or theft every day. That is two cases every hour. How can the Government honestly state that there is nothing for the community to be worried about? We keep hearing all the time, "Don't you worry about that; we have it all under control". Well, the Minister's figures say something different. Mr Connolly claims that the situation is simply that more people are reporting crime. The Liberal Party does not accept such an excuse. The Liberal Party also does not accept the proposition that as Canberra grows larger it will inevitably have big city crime statistics. The fact is that crime rates are increasing in Canberra and police services are being reduced. Labor has always played down the crime problem in the Territory; that is no news. But the Federal Labor Government does realise that there is a problem. Otherwise why would it provide extra funding to the ACT police budget? We heard the question that Mr Connolly answered today about the ACT police budget.
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