A Wollongong police chief says a drop in crime rates for a number of serious offences – including break-ins, stealing and domestic violence-related assaults – can be attributed to proactive policing and new initiatives.
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Despite wins for the men and women in blue across a number of crime categories, the latest quarterly Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) report revealed Illawarra robberies involving a weapon other than a firearm doubled during the two years to March, while the number of sexual assault incidents also rose.
Wollongong police crime manager Detective Inspector Brad Ainsworth stressed there were no “serial offenders” at large when it came to the number of sexual assaults and said historical incidents being reported was a “major contributor” to the figures.
The crime data covers the Illawarra statistical area, as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which includes the Wollongong and Shellharbour local government areas (LGA) and part of the Kiama LGA.
The statistical area spans the Wollongong and Lake Illawarra police districts.
In the biggest victory for Illawarra police, the number of break and enters of non-dwellings – such as industrial properties, educational premises and businesses – dropped 28 per cent; from 556 incidents in the year to March, 2017 to 400 in the same period this year.
The BOCSAR figures showed an almost 10 per cent drop in thefts from motor vehicles over the 24-month reporting period.
“I think the DNA and fingerprinting of all steal from motor vehicle [incidents], which we do now here, 100 per cent attendance and assessment, that’s really helped things along,” he said.
Det Insp Ainsworth said officers had been “stung pretty hard” by steal from motor vehicle incidents in March and April, months not included in the latest BOCSAR report, but one “main offender” had been identified. “We’ve reeled that in quite a bit,” he said.
Meanwhile, the crime figures showed there was a 12 per cent drop in domestic violence-related assaults. Det Insp Ainsworth said domestic violence (DV) was a big focus for police.
“We do compliance on our DV offenders and that’s really reaped some good rewards,” he said. “DV is discussed every day here; each GDs [general duties] team is aligned with a DV offender and they do continual checking up on them.”
Overall, Det Insp Ainsworth said Wollongong Police District crime rates were “going really well”, but officers wouldn’t be resting on their laurels. His message to the community was: “Be a bit nosy and a bit intrusive. If it doesn’t look right and you haven’t seen them [a person] before ring the cops, that’s what we’re here for.”
Andrew Pearson
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
