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Core Topics => Drugs => Topic started by: Chip on September 19, 2015, 01:28:48 PM

Title: Crime statistics don't reflect ice use patterns
Post by: Chip on September 19, 2015, 01:28:48 PM
source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-04/crime-stats/6747624

Crime statistics don't reflect ice use patterns
Elloise Farrow-Smith, Posted 4 Sep 2015, 1:28pm

The head of the bureau of crime statistics says crime related to the use of the drug ice isn't having the same effect as the heroin problem of the 1990s.

(https://forum.drugs-and-users.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2Fimage%2F4946216-3x2-340x227.jpg&hash=f76df5f21ba90581629fd4847bdd0cc403b88b38)
PHOTO: Use of the drug ice not translating into a crime wave (NDARC)

The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has released its latest report into crime across New South Wales.

Bureau Director Dr Don Weatherburn said there's been a downward trend in burglary and robbery offences.

He said that wasn't the case when the so-called heroin 'epidemic' occurred in the 90s.

"At that time as the number of overdoses grew, so did the number of burglaries and the number of thefts of all kinds, this time round we're seeing a different drug, methamphetamine going up about the same rate as the heroin epidemic did, but so far it doesn't seem to have had any impact at all on property crime rates and robbery," Dr Weatherburn said.

"Now I don't know if it will stay that way, obviously it's a real concern that it won't, but so far it hasn't stopped the downward trend in burglaries and robberies and those sorts of offences."

At a local level there's been some notable crime changes such as a dramatic increase in shop-lifting at Coffs Harbour.

"If you live in Coffs Harbour, they've experienced a 43 per cent increase in break and enter of a non-dwelling and a 43 per cent increase in stealing from a retail store," he said.

In the Kempsey area there's been a drop to the very high rates of break and enter of non-dwelling, motor vehicle theft and a drop in stealing from a dwelling.

But Dr Don Weatherburn says Kempsey already suffers from a high rate of crime; assault rates are twice the state rate, break and enters are three times the state average.

He said depending where you are, a drop in crime rates might not account for much and that's the case in Kempsey.

"Really they've made no headway in reducing what are at the moment quite high levels of crime.

The same is true of a couple of other areas although I have to say that it's not true of Lismore, certainly not true of Port Macquarie, Hastings and it's not true of the Tweed, in fact the Tweed does extremely well because even though not much changed, its rates of crime are about half the state rate," Dr Weatherburn said.
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