Embargoed until Friday 22 December 2000
Crime and Justice Statistics for Western Australia, 1999
The Crime Research Centre at the University of Western Australia today released its report on Crime and Justice Statistics for Western Australia: 1999.
The report describes general crime trends in Western Australia and the distribution of reported crime across the community. The report also describes trends in arrests and other police activities, criminal court activity (including some sentencing patterns) and general imprisonment trends.
The report found that the total number of offences reported to the police fell by almost 5% during 1999. The most significant declines related to the rate of armed robbery (which fell by 33%) and the rate of motor vehicle theft (which fell by more than 20%). The rate of unarmed robbery also fell by 12% and the rate of home burglary fell by almost 9%.
In parallel with the figures for reported crime, police apprehensions decreased by 3.2% in 1999.
With regard to juvenile offenders, police apprehensions increased to their highest level since 1993, the number of cautions increased by 2%, and the number of charges dealt with by the Children’s Court increased by 2.6%. The most common offences dealt with by the Children’s Court were burglary and theft (40%) followed by good order offences (18%), and driving/motor vehicle offences other than theft (17%).
In the higher courts there was a significant increase (24%) in the number of charges finalised, particularly in the District Court. In the higher courts 75% of charges and 80% of appearances led to a conviction and imprisonment continued to be the most common sentence handed down (in 65% of convicted charges). In the adult lower courts the most common offences dealt with were driving offences (37%) and burglary and theft offences (20%). Conviction rates for these offences were 98% and 92% respectively. The most common penalties for all offences in the lower courts were fines (67%), non-custodial orders (18%) and prison sentences (9%).
Prison receptions increased by 13% and the prison census increased by 8% on 1998 figures. With respect to community-based orders, there were slight increases in Intensive Supervision Orders, Community-based orders, parole and home detention. The total number of work and development orders fell by 27%.
Aboriginal people continue to be over-represented with criminal justice matters both as victims and as defendants. Victimisation rates for Aboriginal people were estimated to be more than five times the rate of non-Aboriginal Western Australians, apprehension rates were ten times the comparable rate, and imprisonment rates were high. Aboriginal offenders accounted for 43% of all prison receptions in Western Australia in 1999.
Director of the Centre, Mr Frank Morgan, stated:
“Trends in reported crime were generally encouraging in 1999 and while there are many potential explanations for this, opportunity reduction strategies such as the introduction of car engine immobilisers have played a part.”
Mr Morgan went on to say that:
“We should be mindful, however, that crime rates fluctuate from year to year, and there are variations from one offence type to another. Western Australia remains a State with high rates of property offences in comparison with the Australian average.”
The report includes coloured maps showing the distribution of reported crime across suburbs in the Perth metropolitan area.
Copies of the report (cost $25) can be obtained from:
The Administrative Secretary, Crime Research Centre, University of WA
Phone (08) 6488 2830 Fax (08) 6488 1034
Email crime.research@uwa.edu.au
Free copies of the report are available (in PDF format only) from the Centre’s Web site at:
Crime and Justice Statistics for 1999 [PDF 2.9Mb]
|