Transcript NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics - LSA (Legal Studies Association)

The Nature of Crime in NSW
Jackie Fitzgerald
NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and
Research
Data Sources
• NSW Police recorded criminal incidents - COPS data
• Victim surveys
• NSW Criminal Courts data
• Reoffending database
• Specialised Research
• Other data sources
Recorded Crime Statistics
• These represent criminal incidents reported to and recorded by the
NSW Police
Advantages:
• can collect information on a wide range of offences
• can compare crime rates across areas
• can compare crime rates over time
Limitations :
• Omits offences which are not reported
• Certain offences only show levels of Police activity eg. drugs, drink
driving
• Suffers from deficiencies in Police record keeping
16 Major Offence Categories
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
murder
assault
sexual assault
indecent assault
robbery unarmed
robbery w. firearm
robbery with a knife
• malicious damage
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
break & enter- dwelling
break & enter- non-dwelling
motor vehicle theft
steal from vehicle
steal from dwelling
steal from person
retail theft
fraud
NSW Recorded Crime Trends 2001 - 2002
•
•
•
•
•
•
DOWN
robbery unarmed
robbery with a knife
break & enter- dwelling
break & enter-business
motor vehicle theft
steal from vehicle
UP
• Retail theft
down 18%
down 37%
down 13%
down 21%
down 22%
down 16%
up 8%
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
STABLE
murder
assault
sexual assault
indecent assault
robbery w. firearm
steal from dwelling
steal from person
fraud
malicious damage
stable
stable
stable
stable
stable
stable
stable
stable
stable
NSW Recorded Crime Statistics
1999 - 2002
Recorded Criminal Incidents
New South Wales
Type of offence
1999
2000
Rate per
100,000
Total population
Hom icide
123
1.9
103
1.6
104
1.6
93
1.4
113
1.8
123
1.9
161
2.5
98
1.5
13
0.2
7
0.1
6
0.1
4
0.1
9
0.1
13
0.2
12
0.2
9
0.1
92
1.4
129
2.0
113
1.7
91
1.4
1058.8 70663
1081.7
Manslaughter - driving*
Assault
58646
916.8 62797
971.7 69165
Sexual assault
3201
50.0
3615
55.9
3771
57.7
3660
56.0
Indecent assault, act of indecency
3353
52.4
3833
59.3
3635
55.6
3739
57.2
Other sexual offences
1521
23.8
1575
24.4
1582
24.2
1668
25.5
401
6.3
370
5.7
467
7.1
372
5.7
6462
101.0
7060
109.2
8085
123.8
6639
101.6
697
10.9
656
10.2
886
13.6
714
10.9
3528
55.2
3687
57.1
4326
66.2
2749
42.1
56.0
3880
60.0
5060
77.5
Abduction and kidnapping
Robbery w ithout a w eapon
Robbery w ith a firearm
Robbery w ith a w eapon not a firearm
Other offences against the person
Theft
Rate per
100,000
Total population
Attempted murder
Manslaughter - not driving*
Robbery
2002
Rate per
100,000
Total population
Murder*
Murder accessory, conspiracy
Sexual offences
2001
Rate per
100,000
Total population
5811
89.0
Break and enter - dw elling
77852
3583
1217.1 82427
1275.5 80121
1226.5 69795
1068.4
Break and enter - non-dw elling
45995
719.0 50470
781.0 52328
801.0 41367
633.3
Possess implements
1564
24.5
1733
26.8
2049
31.4
1535
Receiving
2266
35.4
2126
32.9
2020
30.9
1486
23.5
22.7
Goods in custody
9568
149.6
9829
152.1
9796
150.0
8705
133.3
Motor vehicle theft
48401
756.7 52626
814.3 53925
825.5 41937
642.0
Steal from motor vehicle
77948
1218.6 91313
1413.0 90686
1388.2 76409
1169.7
Steal from retail store
21081
329.6 21283
329.3 20828
318.8 22391
342.8
Steal from dw elling
30421
475.6 32279
499.5 31623
484.1 30347
464.6
Steal from person
11592
181.2 12972
200.7 16656
255.0 19939
305.2
Stock theft
790
12.4
757
11.7
944
14.5
837
12.8
Fraud
27011
422.3 27607
427.2 33328
510.2 33947
519.7
Other theft
65063
1017.1 73861
1142.9 70521
1079.5 59850
916.2
Dem and m oney w ith m enaces
Extortion, blackm ail
Arson
Malicious dam age to property
964
15.1
1062
16.4
979
15.0
713
10.9
66
1.0
56
0.9
57
0.9
54
0.8
4954
77.4
6157
95.3
7399
113.3
6749
103.3
1481.5 93041
1424.3
92264
1442.4 94564
1463.3 96781
NSW Recorded Crime Statistics
1999 - 2002
Recorded Criminal Incidents
New South Wales
Type of offence
1999
2000
Rate per
100,000
Total population
Drug offences
Possession and/or use of cocaine
200
3.1
208
3.2
469
7.2
210
3.2
47.1
2483
38.4
1102
16.9
931
14.3
Possession and/or use of cannabis
11494
221.8 11424
174.9
171.3 14486
36.0
2587
40.0
3115
47.7
2503
38.3
Dealing, trafficking in cocaine
205
3.2
100
1.5
255
3.9
114
1.7
Dealing, trafficking in narcotics
864
13.5
860
13.3
467
7.1
505
7.7
Dealing, trafficking in cannabis
989
15.5
881
13.6
1031
15.8
715
10.9
571
8.9
766
11.9
1096
16.8
978
15.0
1939
30.3
1662
25.7
1583
24.2
1502
23.0
32
0.5
27
0.4
24
0.4
37
0.6
Other drug offences
3046
47.6
2788
43.1
3164
48.4
3100
47.5
Offensive conduct
3867
60.5
3806
58.9
4274
65.4
4842
74.1
Offensive language
6892
107.7
5469
84.6
6006
91.9
5712
87.4
399
6.2
424
6.6
879
13.5
615
9.4
13
0.2
10
0.2
24
0.4
75
1.1
9370
146.5
9308
144.0 10666
163.3
9991
152.9
Escapee - Corrective Services custody
103
1.6
95
1.5
98
1.5
66
1.0
Escapee - Police custody
257
4.0
221
3.4
253
3.9
188
2.9
2
0.0
1
0.0
2
0.0
0
0.0
65
1.0
59
0.9
50
0.8
57
0.9
184.2 12109
185.4
108.9
120.4
Importing drugs
Prostitution offences
Betting and gam ing offences
Weapons offences
Escapee - juvenile detention
Escapee - other custody
Breach Apprehended Violence Order
9639
Breach bail conditions
4503
Breach of recognizance
150.7 11073
70.4
4947
171.3 12030
76.5
7114
7864
597
9.3
617
9.5
374
5.7
314
4.8
Fail to appear
1571
24.6
1707
26.4
2173
33.3
2073
31.7
Other offences against justice procedures
6800
106.3
6517
100.8
7204
110.3
7281
111.5
199
3.1
220
3.4
208
3.2
137
2.1
Culpable driving
PCA
23028
360.0 23557
364.5 23933
366.4 25087
384.0
Drive w hile disqualified
16245
254.0 17380
268.9 19076
292.0 18403
281.7
Drive manner/speed dangerous
Other driving offences
Other offences
179.7 11069
2300
Cultivating cannabis
Driving offences
Rate per
100,000
Total population
3013
Dealing, trafficking in other drugs
Against justice procedures
2002
Rate per
100,000
Total population
Possession and/or use of narcotics
Possession and/or use of other drugs
Offensive behaviour
2001
Rate per
100,000
Total population
2693
42.1
2992
46.3
3096
47.4
2826
43.3
39265
613.8 87276
1350.5 5E+05
7831.8 5E+05
8379.9
37743
590.0 45669
706.7 54127
828.6 75606
1157.4
Clear up rates of Recorded Criminal Incidents
Recorded incidents cleared within 180 days in 2001
– Murder
70.2%
– Assault
64.5%
– Sexual assault
33.3%
– Robbery
15.7%
– Break and enter
5.8%
– Vehicle theft
6.9%
– Steal from vehicle 3.0%
– Malicious damage 16.6%
Top 10 LGAs for Break and Enter dwelling
Rank
LGA
No.
Population Rate per 100,000
3,670
412.9
1
Bourke
183
2
Moree Plains
403
15,135
381.5
3
South Sydney
2120
88,530
336.8
4
Walgett
181
8,012
292.4
5
Leichhardt
1417
63,278
273.3
6
Newcastle
2857
142,046
253.5
7
Woollahra
1095
55,072
238.4
8
Gilgandra
90
4,539
225.2
9
Dubbo
723
37,998
168.8
10
North Sydney
1019
3,670
168.3
Rate per 100,000
Age specific rate of offending – break and enter
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
10-14
15-19
20-24
25-29
30-39
40-49
50+
male
female
Break and Enter – non-dwelling
Premises type
Location
Public Primary school
Public Sec. school
Private school
Electronic Sales
Service Station
Motel
Café
Hotel/Pub
No.
4106
2247
788
724
680
632
607
599
Clothing Shop
Restaurant
Takeaway Food
General Wholesaler
Licensed Club
Building Site / Shed
Chemist
Hardware
General Store
555
522
440
365
349
322
309
309
304
%
Break and Enter – dwelling by day of week, 2002
18.0
16.0
14.0
12.0
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0
16.4
14.7
12.6
13.8
13.9
14.5
14.1
Crime Victim Surveys
• Survey of community member’s experience of crime
Advantages:
• Estimates the true level of crime
• Calculates the proportion of unreported crime
• Can compare Australian crime rates with OS
• Victim characteristics can be obtained
• Informs about fear of crime
Limitations:
• Limited number of offences included
• Offers no information about the offender
2003 Victim Survey results
• Households
% of Victims
– Break and enter
– Motor vehicle theft
% reported
5.1%
1.5%
72.2%
93.8%
0.8%
3.5%
0.5%
52.9%
39 %
21.0%
• Persons
– Robbery
– Assault
– Sexual assault (females)
Assault victimisation rate by age, 2003
Percentage (%)
male
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
female
8.4
6.3
4.8
4.1
4.5
4.4
2.5
2.3 2.1
2.7
2.5
1.6
0.7 0.6
15-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65 and
over
total
55
36
25
14
Male
Female
Didn't know
offender
5 4
9
Other
7
Neighbour
4
11
Acquaintance
8
Work/study
colleague
3
8 11
Friend
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Family
member
Percentage
Relationship with offender in most recent
assault incident, 2003
Household types with greater B+E risk
• Areas where households more likely to be broken into
– areas with more than 10% unemployment
– areas with a large population of 15-24 year old males
– cities or towns with populations over 8000
• Household types with greater B+E risk
– one parent households v two parent households
– person living alone v couple with children
– houses next to lanes/bike paths v houses not
– households on busy roads v households not
Household types with reduced B+E risk
• households with people aged over 55 less
victimised
• households over 100 metres from public
facilities
Perceptions of crime or public nuisance
problems in neighbourhood
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Problem Main problem
No perceived problem
50.3%
Housebreaking
29.3%
14.5%
Dangerous/noisy driving
29.2%
9.5%
Vandalism/graffiti
25.7%
7.5%
Louts/Youth gangs
20.9%
5.3%
Illegal Drugs
14.2%
3.7%
Car theft
18.2%
2.3%
Drunkenness
15.6%
2.1%
NSW Criminal Courts
• Data collected on all NSW Local and Higher Court cases
Advantages :
• Provides detailed information on offenders: gender, age,
residence, outcome, penalty
• Figures are reliable
Limitations:
• How representative are offenders in Court?
• May favour juveniles or the inexperienced
• Many offences have very low clear up rates eg B&E, MVT 5%
• Does not provide victim information
• Figures can be affected by external factors eg cautioning
Rate of appearance in Court by age, 2001
1200
Number per 10,000 pop
1000
Female
Male
800
600
400
200
0
10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 20-24 25-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+
Age
NSW Local Court Summary Statistics
1999
Number of cases finalised
Cases finalised by defended
2000
2001
2002
129,828 121,362 130,888 130,555
14.9%
15.8%
15.5%
15.7%
52.2%
50.6%
54.2%
55.7%
4.7%
4.6%
5.7%
6.3%
77
77
101
111
hearing:
Persons w. legal representation
Persons refused bail
Median delay (first appearance to
determination) for defended
cases (days)
Sentencing in NSW Local Courts
1999
2000
2001
2002
53.9
50.6
47.2
45.6
% persons sentenced to prison
6.6
6.4
6.6
6.9
Average length of imprisonment (mths)
4.8
4.9
5.2
5.5
15.2
15.0
14.8
16.3
4.6
4.8
5.0
5.0
% persons receiving fine
Aboriginal persons
% persons sentenced to prison
% Average length of imprisonment
Outcome of charges in Higher Courts
All offences %
Guilty plea
Sexual assault %
4123
58.8
367
34.3
Guilty by verdict
536
7.6
138
12.9
Not guilty - by direction
107
1.5
46
4.3
Not guilty - by verdict
553
7.9
215
20.1
Remitted to local court
42
0.6
3
0.3
Accused failed to appear
185
2.6
14
1.3
No further proceedings directed - crown application
698
10.0
208
19.4
9
0.1
2
0.2
309
4.4
38
3.5
40
0.6
8
0.7
1
0.0
0
0.0
367
5.2
17
1.6
4
0.1
3
0.3
40
0.6
12
1.1
7014
100
1071
100.0
Accused deceased
Plea accepted in full discharge of indictment
Guilty plea within trial
Dismissed, section 428
Offences taken into account
Stay of proceedings
Referred to Mental Health Tribunal
Total
Sentencing drink-drivers: The use of
dismissals and conditional discharges
• In NSW, convictions for drink driving incur a
mandatory period of licence disqualification
• Licence disqualification, however, is avoided if no
conviction is recorded against the defendant
• In the past 10 years the percentage of PCA offenders
not receiving a conviction has increased
• Has this change been uniform across the State?
Court
High range PCA dismissal/discharge
by Local Court 2002
Newcastle
Gosford
Belmont
Toronto
Lismore
Raymond Terrace
Tamworth
Burwood
North Sydney
Coffs Harbour
Tweed Heads
Bankstown
Campbelltown
Liverpool
Penrith
Kempsey
Windsor
Nowra
Wollongong
NSW Court Average
0
10
20
30
40
50
Percent dismissed/discharged
Contact with the NSW Court System
•1.9% of all NSW residents aged 10+
•5.1% of all NSW residents aged 20-24
•8.4% of all male NSW residents aged 20-24
•12.8% of all Indigenous NSW residents aged 10+
•27.7% of all Indigenous NSW residents aged 20-24
Frequency distribution of number of
court appearances, 1997 - 2001
% with this number court appearances
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
No. of persons
9
10 11
12 13 14 15+
The Abolition of short sentences
• Between 1996 and 2001 the NSW prison
population increased by 19%
• In 2001 a parliamentary committee recommended
the abolition of sentences of 6 months or less
• What impact would this have?
– Reduce prison population by 10 percent
– Reduce the flow of people into prison by 40 %, from
150 per week to 90 per week
– Could save between $33 million and $47 million per
annum
Hung juries and aborted trials
• One in six trials in NSW District Court fail to reach a conclusion
because of a hung jury or aborted trial
• Hung juries are more common among trials that:
– last longer than three days; are heard in a metropolitan court; where no
adjournment is sought
• Trails are more likely to be aborted if they:
– are held in Sydney; involve multiple offence counts; involve sex offences,
violent offences or fraud; if there are multiple accused; if there is a voir
dire; if the trial is a jury rather than a judge-alone trial; and if no bench
warrant has been issued.
• Reasons for aborting:
– Evidence 43%, Juror 21%, Witness 11%, Case 7%, Accused 6%
Reducing Juvenile Crime: Conferencing
versus Court
• Youth Justice Conferencing is effective in
reducing juvenile crime
• Compared 590 juveniles referred to YJC hem with
9,346 juveniles dealt with by the Children’s Court
• The proportion of juveniles who re-offended was
28% lower for those who had been before a YJC.
• The number of re-appearances in court was about
24% lower among those who had originally been
referred to YJC.
• Positive results also for Aboriginal juveniles
The effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the
NSW Drug Court
• Drug Court participants (n=309) compared to control group (n=191)
• Findings:
– Drug Court participants took significantly longer than the control group to
their first drug offence. Drug Court participants had lower rates of offending
for most categories of offence.
– The per day cost for an individual on the Drug Court ($143.87) was slightly
less than the per day cost for offenders in prison ($151.72).
– The main difference was in the cost-effectiveness of reducing the rate of
offending. It cost nearly $5,000 more for each shop stealing offence averted
using conventional sanctions, and additional $19,000 for each possess/use
opiates offence averted, than it cost using the Drug Court program.