Introduction

Source

The following information is taken from the Crime and Justice Statistics for Western Australia: 1994 report published by this Centre. The Report (as a whole) contains statistical information on crimes and the criminal justice system in Western Australia in 1994. It is the fifth annual statistical report of the Crime Research Centre and follows Crime and Justice Statistics for Western Australia: 1993, which reported on data collected for the period 1 January to 31 December 1993, and was published in December 1994.

Statistical Coverage

This Report describes individual unit record data collected by the Crime Research Centre from the police, courts and correctional services for the period 1 January to 31 December 1994. They are described within the chapters of the Report.

The data coverage excludes the following data which were either not available to the Centre or not ready for publication:

1. charges resulting in acquittals or withdrawn proceedings in Children's Courts;
2. police juvenile cautions (see Section 1.3 of the Report);
3. charges laid in Courts of Petty Sessions (see Section 1.3 of the Report);
4. data relating to persons 'detained' in police custody under provisions of the Acts Amendment (Detention of Drunken Persons) Act 1989 which came into force 27 April 1990, decriminalising the offence of public drunkenness (see Section 1.3 of the Report).

National Crime Statistics

Source: ABS National Crime Statistics 1994, Catalogue No 4510.0

In comparison to national rates, Western Australia had higher than average rates for most of the offence categories, particularly for unlawful entry and motor vehicle theft. However, robbery rates were below the national average. The Northern Territory had the highest rates for offences against the person, such as homicide and sexual assault, and New South Wales for robbery, while Western Australia had the highest rates for vehicle theft and unlawful entry.

Crime Trends

Notes:
(1) Rates have been calculated using the following figures:

(2) Offences against the person include homicide, assault, sexual assaults and offences, other offences against the person (including acts endangering life generally), robbery, blackmail and extortion.
(3) Offences against property include breaking and entering, fraud and misappropriation, handling stolen goods, theft or illegal use of a vehicle, other theft, property damage and environmental offences. Note that during 1992, the single offence of break, enter and steal was redefined and subsequently counted as two separate offences: an offence of burglary and one of stealing (when this occurred in a burglary). These latter forms of stealing were added to the overall offence of stealing (or theft) and thus 'inflated' property offences by about 15%. Consequently, true comparability of 1992-1994 property figures to 1991 has been lost.

Trends in 1994, the WA rates for reported unlawful entry was 3,285.1 per 100,000 and for motor vehicle theft 976.8 per 100,000 persons. Compared to 1993, rates of reported crime have increased for almost all offences. Reported robbery rates experienced the most significant increase, rising from 58.0 per 100,000 persons to 71.6 per 100,000 persons. On the other hand, reported motor vehicle theft rates increased only marginally, from 966.1 per 100,000 persons to 976.8 per 100,000 persons. The homicide rate was slightly higher in 1994 (4.5 per 100,000 persons) than in 1993 (3.7 per 100,000), however, there were no signs of an increasing trend when viewed in the longer term.

Trends in Arrests

Trends in arrest statistics were difficult to interpret for 1994. The number of charges laid by the police fell by 1.1% (compared to 1993) but the number of distinct persons charged actually increased by 1.8%. This pattern would suggest that the police are charging more people with fewer offences. Analysis of distinct persons found that while the number of distinct juveniles charged have continued to decline since 1991, the number of distinct adults charged actually increased from 1993. The continued decline in the number of juveniles arrested is most likely the result of the introduction of cautioning, extensions in eligibility for the Panel and expansions in the types of offences dealt with by the INREP system (automatic expiation). As mentioned in the 1993 Report most of the reductions in juvenile arrests have affected non-Aborigines more than Aboriginal youths. Thus, paradoxically, the relative differences in the likelihood of arrest for the races have increased. In 1994 Aborigines were 9.4 times more likely to be arrested than non-Aborigines, whereas in 1990 they were only 7.7 times more likely to be arrested than non-Aborigines.

Court Activity

In line with the reductions in juvenile arrests, juvenile convictions have continued to decline throughout 1994, and the number of individuals dealt with by the Children's Court has fallen by more than 40% since 1990 (see Chapter 4 of the Report). However, the proportion of juveniles sentenced to detention has increased from 3.2% in 1990 to 6.9% in 1994. These results suggest that while many less serious offenders have been diverted from the Courts (by the introduction of cautioning, for example), the more serious offenders remain and are being dealt with more severely. Juvenile detention rates (based on AIC census statistics) increased between 1993 and 1994. With the exception of the Northern Territory, the Western Australian rates were the highest in the nation. The WA juvenile detention rate in 1994 was 1.7 times the national average.

The volume of charges and persons dealt with by the Higher Courts have increased since 1993 but trends have been inconsistent. Not guilty pleas have increased since 1991, while convictions have decreased slightly over the same period. The use of imprisonment has increased since 1990 and remains the most common sanction used by the Higher Courts. Since 1993, median sentence lengths have increased substantially for some offences, particularly sexual assaults and other sex offences.