Page 292 - Week 01 - Thursday, 29 November 2012
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operations are done that save their lives. And do you know why? It is because of the investments that we made, Mr Hanson, with no help from you but sniping and whining from the sideline. (Time expired.)
Crime—statistics
MR GENTLEMAN: My question is to the Attorney-General. Attorney-General, the ACT criminal justice statistical profile tabled earlier this week shows decreases in a range of crimes across the ACT. This is a very positive result for the ACT. Can you outline the areas in which the crime rate has decreased?
MR CORBELL: I thank Mr Gentleman for his question. The September quarter Canberra crime report card shows a continuing decrease in several serious crime types in the ACT, including assaults, robberies and weapons offences. I am very pleased to say that, thanks to the hard and dedicated work of ACT Policing, in concert with ACT government agencies, this is ensuring that Canberra remains a safe place and that we are getting great results when it comes to community safety.
The protocol indicates a consistent decrease across a range of reported property and personal offences in the ACT for the 12 months from September the previous year to September 2012. Year after year there continue to be decreases in burglaries and break and enters, weapons offences, property damage, assaults and robbery offences. In the past 12 months there have been across-the-board decreases in burglary and break and enter offences, which have decreased by 12 per cent, with 2,605 offences in the 12 months to September 2012 compared to 2,954 offences in the 12 months to September 2011; that is, 349 fewer instances of break and enter occurring in our city.
When it comes to property damage, we have seen a 22 per cent decrease, with 5,496 offences in the 12 months to September this year compared to over 7,000, in fact 7,022, offences in the 12 months to September 2011; that is, 1,526 fewer instances of property damage in our city over the last 12 months.
When it comes to assaults, including acts intended to cause injury, these have decreased by 12 per cent, with 2,247 offences in the 12 months to September 2012 compared to 2,556 offences committed in the 12 months to September 2011—309 fewer assaults in our city. That is great news for personal safety in our city.
Weapons offences are down also, by seven per cent, and robbery has decreased by nine per cent, with 236 offences in the 12 months to September this year compared to 260 offences in the 12 months to September 2011.
All of these figures show that under this Labor government Canberra is becoming a safer and safer city—fewer break and enters, fewer stolen motor vehicles, fewer assaults, fewer instances of property damage because of the investment this Labor government has made in our police, in the laws that support them and in our strategies to drive down the level of crime in our city—confirming once again that our city is one of the safest places in Australia to live.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Gentleman.
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