Annual Statistical Review 2016/17 – Far North District
Far North District overall crime increases
Far North District Officer Chief Superintendent Brett Schafferius today welcomed the release of the Queensland Police Service’s Statistical Review which demonstrated a reduction in armed robberies, arson and liquor offences across the district.
The Statistical Review represents a comprehensive insight into the level and nature of crime reported for each police district throughout Queensland.
The overall crime rate across the Far North District from 2015/16 to 2016/17 increased by 1.1 percent to 41,169 offences.
Over the 10 year period from 2007/08 to 2016/17, Far North District recorded a decrease in the rate of offences against the person.
“The overall crime rate of offences against the person over the past 10 years decreased by 20.5 percent, while offences against property increased by 19.2 percent,” Chief Superintendent Schafferius said.
The rate of robberies across the district decreased by eight percent in the past year and has decreased over the past 10 years by 28.8 percent.
“There were 91 reported robberies in 2016/17, compared to 114 in 2007/08,” Chief Superintendent Schafferius said.
In 2016/17, unlawful use of motor vehicles increased by 30.7 percent, unlawful entry into houses increased by 13.4 percent and unlawful entry into shops increased by 2.7 percent.
Chief Superintendent Schafferius urges the community to be vigilant with the security to their houses, vehicles and other property items, with the rate of offences against property increasing by 7.3 percent in the past year.
“A lot of break-ins and property thefts are opportunistic and are preventable,” Chief Superintendent Schafferius said.
“We urge the community to use all available security options on their property to prevent opportunistic thefts as a result of unlocked or unsecured property.
“In addition to proactive and intelligence-led patrols, police will continue with proactive policing and community programs, such as the myPolice Far North blog and Neighbourhood Watch groups to remind the community to be actively participating in crime prevention methods.”
The rate of arsons across the district decreased by 10.8 percent in the past year and by 40.5 percent over the past 10 years.
“There were 54 arson offences in 2016/17, compared to 81 in 2007/08,” Chief Superintendent Schafferius said.
The number of liquor offences across the district decreased by 20.4 percent.
“It is positive to see offences involving liquor decline in the district, however 1,126 in the past year is still too high and police will continue to provide a large presence in those areas,” Chief Superintendent Schafferius said.
Fraud offences increased by 54.2 percent. Computer fraud decreased by 42.6 percent, cheque fraud decreased by 33.9 percent while identity fraud increased by 73.5 percent and credit card fraud increased by 83.8 percent.
“Over the past 10 years fraud offences have increased by 61.6 percent and with ongoing advancements in technology, fraudulent activity continues to be prevalent in our community with 1,563 offences reported in the Far North District over the past 12 months,” Chief Superintendent Schafferius said.
“This is a timely reminder to the community of the importance of adopting preventative measures and behaviours such as not providing personal information to unverified organisations or individuals, to ensure they are protected against fraud.”
In the Far North District, the rate of Domestic and Family Violence Applications decreased from 1,009 in 2015/16 to 1,008 in 2016/17, or zero percent in the rate of applications per 100,000 person.
“In 2016/17, approximately 83 percent of applications were police initiated,” Chief Superintendent Schafferius said.
The number of breaches to Domestic and Family Violence Protection Orders increased from 2,328 in 2015/16 to 2,629 in 2016/17.
“The increase in reporting of domestic and family violence can be attributed to the proactive work being done by police in the district and from the community gaining more confidence in reporting incidents to police,” Chief Superintendent Schafferius said.
“The QPS is committed to working in partnership with the people of Queensland to provide professional policing services that will, over time, prevent and reduce the incidents of domestic violence in Queensland.”
The Annual Statistical Review 2016-17 is available on the QPS website.
Note: All percentages used in this release relate to the number of reported offences per 100,000 people. Media seeking regional and district crime statistics from the Queensland Police Service 2016/17 Annual Statistical Review can locate details on the QPS website at www.police.qld.gov.au.
Source: Cairns Crime Alert
