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HomeVolume 29Crime: Numbers say the town's not winning

Crime: Numbers say the town’s not winning

ABOVE: Red line – number of offences against the person. Green line – number of offences against property. (Source Department of the Attorney-General and Justice, Police). Blue line – wholesale alcohol in Alice Springs (Source Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade). For example, last March we drank booze containing 59,041 litres of pure alcohol.This clearly does not include any or all alcohol obtained by mail order.

By ERWIN CHLANDA

There has been no reduction in the catastrophic number of offences against the person (red line) in Alice Springs in the 12 months to March this year and the offences against property (green line) have increased.

The June figures are not available yet but anecdotal evidence suggests crime in that quarter was getting worse, especially as aggravated assaults are now frequently at the point of a weapon.

The restrictions from January to the alcohol trade (blue line), likely damaging to tourism and other industries, have clearly had little effect.

This can be concluded from crime statistics provided by the government and the police.

One sale per day per person, alcohol free days on Monday and Tuesday for takeaway purchases, and limiting hours of alcohol being sold between 3pm to 7pm except on Saturdays, were introduced on January 25 by then Chief Minister Natasha Fyles.

“These measures will be coupled with an increase in compliance using tools already available, including an on-premise Banned Drinker Register blitz,” she said.

We know this is a tool that works.

“The Central Australian Regional Controller will be responsible for developing an Alcohol Management Plan for the region.

“Businesses and members of the community including town camps, will be able to have input into this plan and into how they want alcohol managed in their community.”

In November last year the government changed the compilation of crime statistics, claiming that the new system “cannot be directly compared” with the earlier one.

This Alice Springs News report relies on just two numbers – offences against the person and against property, respectively, summarising subgroups such as sexual assault, abduction, robbery on the one hand, and house break-ins, motor vehicle theft and property damage on the other.

We have asked the police: If there is any reason why the totals from the old and the new systems cannot be compared, please explain why.

A spokesman replied: General consistency is maintained, my understanding is that any large scale system change in how data is collected will affect the ability to compare data accurately, especially amongst small sample sizes like in the NT.

Booze restrictions, bottlo queues: Are we achieving anything?

“Crime data in particular is highly susceptible to change and even small changes in how its collected could potentially affect how trends are inferred.   

“For accuracy, any comparisons need that caveat added.

“From a police perspective, we wouldn’t use the data like that just yet.”

The spokesman says Commander John Atkin, in an April news conference, said that there is potential that once the system has settled, police may be in a position to begin making year on year comparisons again.

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