The latest crime statistics for South Australia have shown a continued rise in family and domestic abuse related offences, with police figures revealing a 16 per cent increase over the past year. The total number of offences reported was 12,844, marking a rise of 1,767 offences in the rolling year to June. This follows increases of 15 per cent in the May year and 13 per cent in the April year, amidst public campaigns and reforms aimed at encouraging victims to come forward.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens acknowledged the historical nature of domestic violence as a usually concealed issue, now coming to the forefront due to increased awareness and reduced community tolerance. “There is now much greater level of awareness and far less tolerance within the community and we are providing greater access to people experiencing family violence to enable them come forward and make a report,” Commissioner Stevens stated. He also expressed hope that the findings from the Royal Commission will lead to effective reforms.
In addressing these crimes, police undertook a major operation last month, named Operation Storm, focusing on domestic violence offenders. This action led to 80 arrests through a proactive, intelligence-led approach and included referring offenders to behaviour change programs.
The newly released June crime statistics also highlighted actions taken against repeat offenders which appear to have curbed the growing number of shop thefts across the state. Although there was an increase of 2,096 offences, totalling 18,358, the percentage increase was the lowest in over a year and marked the fourth consecutive rolling year period decrease. Commissioner Stevens pointed out, “The initiatives we have introduced are starting to have an impact on the prevalence of shop theft, but there is still considerable work to do to rein it in even further.”
Further efforts to combat shop theft included Operation Measure, which reviewed over 16,000 incidents and resulted in 673 apprehensions. Major shopping centres, including those in the metropolitan area, recorded the highest number of these offences.
Other key findings in the crime report included a noticeable increase in offences for receiving or handling the proceeds of crime, up 31 per cent, largely due to targeted operations against offenders using online platforms or second-hand dealers to sell stolen goods. Meanwhile, petrol theft showed a slight decrease with 8,207 incidents, down by 34 from the previous year, with high incidences still prevalent in Adelaide’s northern districts.
Lastly, the report noted variations in other crime categories. Sexual assault and related offences saw a decline of six per cent, with specific decreases in aggravated sexual assault and non-assaultive sexual offences. Conversely, acts intended to cause injury rose by 10 per cent. Theft from motor vehicles and car theft saw reductions of 11 per cent and three per cent, respectively.
