Mr MILLS - 2008-04-29
When you were talking about increased crime figures for February, you said: ‘… there is absolutely no doubt that those figures do reflect an increase in assaults that are reported to police’, and that there is: ‘… a lot more confidence in reporting domestic violence and assaults to the police’. Unlike you, I will table these figures. I will table the section called Unreported Offences from every issue of the crime statistics since Issue 4 of June 2003. Each and every issue since that time has said: ‘69% of assault offences are not reported to police’.
Your official publications show that the rate of unreported assaults are the same now as they have been for nearly five years. How can you assert that there is an increase in the reporting rate when your own crime statistics say that reporting rates remain unchanged since June 2003?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to engage in debate about crime statistics with the Leader of the Opposition. In every jurisdiction, whether it is in Australia or in the western world, there is unreported crime. Everybody acknowledges there is unreported crime. The figures that the Leader of the Opposition is talking about are not accurate; they are not scientific; they are based on estimates that people who actually study crime statistics and figures as a profession work up and come up with.
I can talk about is what is happening in the Northern Territory. I went through those figures of what is actually reported as opposed to what is not reported. What is reported is we are seeing an escalating number of reports in and around domestic violence. I am will not repeat my answer again, because it was very forthright last time - more police, more confidence to report.
I will give one other figure, because I did say that the opposition opposed this government’s amendment to legislation to allow police officers to issue domestic violence restraining orders. From 1 October 2007 to 31 March 2008, 1175 restraining orders were initiated by police. That is 1175 orders were initiated by the police - not having to wait for a magistrate to actually authorise the order - to make women safer across the Northern Territory. The opposition opposed giving the police those powers.
Your official publications show that the rate of unreported assaults are the same now as they have been for nearly five years. How can you assert that there is an increase in the reporting rate when your own crime statistics say that reporting rates remain unchanged since June 2003?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to engage in debate about crime statistics with the Leader of the Opposition. In every jurisdiction, whether it is in Australia or in the western world, there is unreported crime. Everybody acknowledges there is unreported crime. The figures that the Leader of the Opposition is talking about are not accurate; they are not scientific; they are based on estimates that people who actually study crime statistics and figures as a profession work up and come up with.
I can talk about is what is happening in the Northern Territory. I went through those figures of what is actually reported as opposed to what is not reported. What is reported is we are seeing an escalating number of reports in and around domestic violence. I am will not repeat my answer again, because it was very forthright last time - more police, more confidence to report.
I will give one other figure, because I did say that the opposition opposed this government’s amendment to legislation to allow police officers to issue domestic violence restraining orders. From 1 October 2007 to 31 March 2008, 1175 restraining orders were initiated by police. That is 1175 orders were initiated by the police - not having to wait for a magistrate to actually authorise the order - to make women safer across the Northern Territory. The opposition opposed giving the police those powers.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016