By ERWIN CHLANDA
Police officers are apparently beginning to measure the level of public disturbances by counting “crimes per hour”: According to a media release, last weekend they “responded to a whopping 340 crime incidents over a 72-hour period over the weekend.
“This was averaging around five crimes an hour, with six youths picked up, but others remain on the loose.”
According to Superintendent Tony Deutrom: “Another wild weekend of crime in Alice Springs with average of five crimes committed an hour.”
However, these statistics are skewed because only when a crime has been proven beyond beyond reasonable doubt, in the eyes of a judge, can it be regarded as a crime.
Investigations are ongoing into the 16 unlawful entries, three attempted unlawful entries and eight stolen motor vehicles – all of which have been recovered, which occurred during the weekend.
“It was a bad weekend with a lot of people either coming home or waking up to their home being unlawfully entered, and their property stolen.
“It is without a doubt one of the more gut-wrenching feelings to find out you’ve been broken into, and to those victims I am sorry that you’ve experienced that.
“Police continue to work hard to maintain a sense of safety within our community, and this weekend was no different.”
And still the Government does nothing. Good luck, Alice Springs.
Why has it come to this in a beautiful town like Alice? Home invasions go to the core of our sense of security and trust in our community. There must be a severe problem now with depressive illness. My heart bleeds for the people of Alice.
@ Shayne: Alice Springs must be the most policed town in the nation.
There are police everywhere.
And we have the Viper task force dedicated to tracking down offenders.
They are making many arrests.
I agree we have a high rate of crime but it is not true that the NT Government does nothing.
Interesting definition of a crime “only when proven in the eyes of a judge etc”.
So when a car goes missing from a driveway and is never found, there is no crime?
House is trashed no one caught, not a crime?
Unsolved murders?
Don’t think it passes the pub test. Maybe the difference between crimes and convictions needs comparing?
@ Peter Hoey. Interesting observation.
And if a case is closed quickly by the NT Police then it is less likely to become a “crime”.
A friend had a house break-in closed in five days without finding the offenders.
That’s one way to keep the crime rate down.