Queensland crime rate down 2.1 pc, well short of figure touted by Campbell Newman and Ian Stewart

Updated

An analysis of Queensland Police Service statistics shows the crime rate in Queensland dropped 2.1 per cent in the past financial year.

It is part of a long-term downward trend in crime and is thanks largely to a significant decrease in property crime in 2013-14.

But it is well short of the figure used by Premier Campbell Newman in the past week.

"Crime has dropped across the board by around 10 per cent and you saw the Police Commissioner saying that last week," Mr Newman said on Monday.

The QPS data shows that in 2013-14 there were 436,720 offences recorded. That compares to 437,465 the year before.

Allowing for population growth it translates to a 2.1 per cent drop in the crime rate.

Police record crimes in three broad categories: offences against the person, offences against property, and other offences.

Ultimately there is an overall crime rate for the whole of the state for the whole of the year. But what I've been very clear to do is make it very clear that our reported crime... is down significantly. Police Commissioner Ian Stewart

Analysis shows that last financial year offences against the person - which include crimes such as assault, robbery and rape - fell 6.3 per cent.

Offences against property - which include unlawful entry, stealing and fraud - decreased 11.3 per cent.

But other offences - which include drugs, weapons, traffic and breaching domestic violence orders - increased 10.4 per cent.

Criminologist Professor Kerry Carrington, who is head of Queensland University of Technology’s School of Justice, said there were dramatic changes within crime types but described the overall drop of 2.1 per cent as "minor".

"If you have a look at the long-term crime trends of reported crime in Queensland you'll see that the significant drop in reported crime occurred in the decade to 2011," she said.

"After that it’s really just been quite stable."

Police Commissioner hailed 'milestone' figure

The Premier's reference to the Police Commissioner, Ian Stewart, relates to an article published in The Courier-Mail on July 15.

"I don't want to crow about it but when I started last year I said I was hopeful we would get a 10 per cent reduction in crime, that is the reported crime," Mr Stewart told The Courier-Mail.

"I think we’re going to exceed that and quite honestly that is a real hallmark and milestone figure."

Mr Stewart said he was excluding "other offences" in his comments on crime.

When you look at the whole database there’s only been a very minor drop of around 2 per cent. Professor Kerry Carrington

"What I've been very clear on every time I've talked about crime stats this year is that reported crime is down significantly and other crime is up significantly," he said.

"Reported crime is in two categories, crimes against the person and property crime, they’re the reported crimes so the ones we get reports on and we go out and follow up the investigation of those.

"Ultimately there is an overall crime rate for the whole of the state for the whole of the year.

"But what I've been very clear to do is make it very clear that our reported crime, so the crime where mums and dads are the victims out there and they report that to us, that is down significantly."

'You have to look at the whole database'

But Professor Carrington said excluding "other offences" is cherry picking.

"You cannot say that," she said.

"If you look at a criminal justice database of reported offences you have to look at the whole database. When you look at the whole database there’s only been a very minor drop of around 2 per cent."

Mr Stewart said the increase in "other offences" relates to "increased police effort".

Criminologist Mark Lauchs said the doubling of the number of reports of extortion was a sign the bikie crackdown is having an effect.

"When we see a rise in people reporting extortion that’s an indicator there's a public faith that they can report without consequences," Dr Lauchs said.

"So that in itself is a very significant issue and it's a sign that something has happened to change public perception of crime.

"Whether it's the bikie laws or the police crackdown is one of those things we’ll argue about for decades."

Topics: crime, law-crime-and-justice, states-and-territories, qld, australia

First posted