Ms CARNEY - 2006-10-10
In your earlier answers, you said that the general trend of crime rates is down. In that question I outlined how, since 2002 compared to 2006, there has been an upward trend in assault rates and it has increased. They were higher in 2003 than they were in 2002; they were higher in 2005 than they were in 2002; and they are higher in 2006 than they were in 2002. How is it that you can say in this parliament that there is a downward trend in the crime figures when, in fact, by your own figures the trend is upwards?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the minister with carriage of these figures would like to talk to them, so quite properly I will refer the answer to him.
Ms Carney: Well, you were happy to answer it before.
Ms MARTIN: I will refer this answer …
Ms Carney: Oh, you chicken.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Leader of the Opposition, I ask you to withdraw.
Ms Carney: I withdraw that, Madam Speaker.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, we will look at these figures accurately and I will hand the response to the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General.
Mr STIRLING (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Araluen for her question. When we are talking about statistics, whether they are employment, whether they are crime, or whatever manner of statistics, whilst concentrating on one specific area as the Leader of the Opposition is doing, it is important, so there is not a distorted vision of what is going on out there, to step back and have a look at the whole. I am talking about the trends over the time 2001 to 2006 as opposed to year on year, or quarter by quarter, or month to month. In the same way that you take a narrow snapshot, often you get a very distorted picture. The long term, of course, tells a very different story.
For instance, property crime has fallen by 32% in the Territory in 2001 to 2006, largely due to more police on the beat, as the minister for Police pointed out, but also due to the introduction of the Property Crime Reduction Strategy. It has had particular success in Darwin, and Alice Springs with Task Force Billabong, where property crime has fallen 37% and 10% respectively, 37% in Palmerston, and 36% in Katherine.
If we go to the point of violent crime that the Leader of the Opposition is talking about now, a key goal for the police and for Justice was to encourage more reporting of violent crime wherever it occurred in the Northern Territory, and the police are achieving this. They are achieving it through the introduction of the Violent Crime Reduction Strategy. Reported violent crime increased 16% in the year to June; by 17% since 2001. That does not mean that 17% more crime has been committed. What it does mean is that more violent crime is being reported due to the proactive and strong policing being carried out by officers in our police force.
In my view, it shows that these initiatives are working. So I believe it is necessary to concentrate on and have a look at the whole rather than rather than specific instances being reported on particular intervals of time, as put forward by the Leader of the Opposition.
You have to take a step back and look at the whole. We are not denying that those increases have occurred. What we are saying is that there are particular proactive, strong, positive police measures in and around these crimes that are leading to this increase in reporting.
In relation to crimes against the person, crimes of violence, so often they are associated with alcohol or substance abuse. We are seeing the statistics. I hope the Commissioner for Police is able to release the Groote Eylandt story in the very near future, because I have had a sneak look. I have been privy to some of these figures coming through, and they are telling. They are telling at Nguiu on Bathurst Island where a simple reduction from full strength beer to mid-strength beer – police overtime - gone, police call-outs - gone, admissions to the health clinic for trauma and for injuries - way down. We are seeing that picture in Groote, we are seeing that picture in Nguiu, and we attribute it to what?
We attribute it to strong measures against alcohol abuse in connection with strong and proactive policing. We have to have both. It is not just alcohol on its own. It is the activity of the police on the ground as well. Those two initiatives together are leading the way. When we get the Groote Eylandt figures in the very near future we will see the level of reduction in these crimes against the person and crimes of violence because of getting on top of the alcohol abuse.
Madam SPEAKER: I remind visitors in the public galleries that there is to be no photography, either with mobile phones or with cameras during the sittings. It is against our standing orders.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the minister with carriage of these figures would like to talk to them, so quite properly I will refer the answer to him.
Ms Carney: Well, you were happy to answer it before.
Ms MARTIN: I will refer this answer …
Ms Carney: Oh, you chicken.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Leader of the Opposition, I ask you to withdraw.
Ms Carney: I withdraw that, Madam Speaker.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, we will look at these figures accurately and I will hand the response to the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General.
Mr STIRLING (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Araluen for her question. When we are talking about statistics, whether they are employment, whether they are crime, or whatever manner of statistics, whilst concentrating on one specific area as the Leader of the Opposition is doing, it is important, so there is not a distorted vision of what is going on out there, to step back and have a look at the whole. I am talking about the trends over the time 2001 to 2006 as opposed to year on year, or quarter by quarter, or month to month. In the same way that you take a narrow snapshot, often you get a very distorted picture. The long term, of course, tells a very different story.
For instance, property crime has fallen by 32% in the Territory in 2001 to 2006, largely due to more police on the beat, as the minister for Police pointed out, but also due to the introduction of the Property Crime Reduction Strategy. It has had particular success in Darwin, and Alice Springs with Task Force Billabong, where property crime has fallen 37% and 10% respectively, 37% in Palmerston, and 36% in Katherine.
If we go to the point of violent crime that the Leader of the Opposition is talking about now, a key goal for the police and for Justice was to encourage more reporting of violent crime wherever it occurred in the Northern Territory, and the police are achieving this. They are achieving it through the introduction of the Violent Crime Reduction Strategy. Reported violent crime increased 16% in the year to June; by 17% since 2001. That does not mean that 17% more crime has been committed. What it does mean is that more violent crime is being reported due to the proactive and strong policing being carried out by officers in our police force.
In my view, it shows that these initiatives are working. So I believe it is necessary to concentrate on and have a look at the whole rather than rather than specific instances being reported on particular intervals of time, as put forward by the Leader of the Opposition.
You have to take a step back and look at the whole. We are not denying that those increases have occurred. What we are saying is that there are particular proactive, strong, positive police measures in and around these crimes that are leading to this increase in reporting.
In relation to crimes against the person, crimes of violence, so often they are associated with alcohol or substance abuse. We are seeing the statistics. I hope the Commissioner for Police is able to release the Groote Eylandt story in the very near future, because I have had a sneak look. I have been privy to some of these figures coming through, and they are telling. They are telling at Nguiu on Bathurst Island where a simple reduction from full strength beer to mid-strength beer – police overtime - gone, police call-outs - gone, admissions to the health clinic for trauma and for injuries - way down. We are seeing that picture in Groote, we are seeing that picture in Nguiu, and we attribute it to what?
We attribute it to strong measures against alcohol abuse in connection with strong and proactive policing. We have to have both. It is not just alcohol on its own. It is the activity of the police on the ground as well. Those two initiatives together are leading the way. When we get the Groote Eylandt figures in the very near future we will see the level of reduction in these crimes against the person and crimes of violence because of getting on top of the alcohol abuse.
Madam SPEAKER: I remind visitors in the public galleries that there is to be no photography, either with mobile phones or with cameras during the sittings. It is against our standing orders.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016