Page 1111 - Week 04 - Thursday, 1 April 1993

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION NO. 526

School Burglaries

Mr Cornwell: To ask the Attorney General -

(1) How many incidents of break-ins to ACT schools were recorded in the recent 1992-93 Christmas/New Year school holiday period.

(2) Has any assessment of damage been made and, if so, what is the approximate total value.

Mr Connolly: the answer to Mr Cornwells question is as follows:

NOTE: To provide the number of incidents which occurred at ACT schools would

require each incident recorded on the Computerised On-line Policing

System (COPS) to be manually interrogated. This would be a costly, time

consuming and labour intensive exercise.

Consequently, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Information and

Statistical Services Branch has provided figures, as at 19 February 1993,

pertaining to property and burglary offences at ACT schools which were

reported to police between 1 December 1992 and 31 January 1993. The

AFP data base does not allow for the extraction of offence statistics for part

months.

Offence statistics are drawn from criminal offence reports submitted by

investigating members who nominate the offences that have, prima facie,

been committed.

In addition, it needs to be recognised that the alleged offences may not

necessarily have occurred during the period specified. It may not be readily

apparent that an offence has been committed and consequently it may go

undetected for some time before being reported.

(1) There is no offence of break-in under the Crimes Act 1900. However, section

102(1) of the Crimes Act 1900, which relates to the offence of burglary, states:

A person who enters or remains in any building as a trespasser with intent -

(a) to steal anything in the building; or

(b) to commit an offence involving an assault on a person in the

building or involving any damage to the building or to property in

the building, being an offence punishable by imprisonment for S

years or more,

is guilty of an offence punishable, on conviction, by imprisonment for 14 years.