POLICE — CRIME STATISTICS
546. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the worst violent crime
on record in WA, including more attacks over the last weekend.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER: Order, members!
Dr D.J. HONEY: I refer to the
worst violent crime on record in WA, including more attacks over the last
weekend. Can the minister explain how he expects to get ahead of this violent
crime crisis when the total appropriation for the police was cut in this budget
in this financial year?
Mr P.
PAPALIA replied:
I do not know what state the member
is living in, but that is not the Western Australia the member talked about. In
answer to a similar question the member asked the last time we sat, I said that
Western Australia has experienced a reduction in crime since the peaks under
his government. There has been a 22 per cent reduction in crime across the
state since the peak in the fiscal year 2015–16 during the time when
the member's party was in government. Overall,
there have been 65 000 fewer offences; home burglaries are down by 43 per cent;
motor vehicle theft is down by 38 per cent; stealing is down by 37.6 per
cent; and property damage offences are down by 28 per cent. Offences against the person, which is part of the
encompassing category to which the member referred—the member has not
referenced a category—are always a concern. Those things happen. As I said
the last time I was asked this question, one of the things that has
occurred recently is that we have been able to encourage women in particular to
report domestic violence like never before, and that is a good thing. We should
encourage and applaud the fact that people feel safe, listened to and certain
that the police will respond appropriately to what is a serious crime. That is
a good thing, so of course the reporting of family and domestic violence is up.
Something that I did not refer the member to the last time I spoke to him about
this matter is that sexual assault reporting is also up, and for the same
reasons. The reporting of sexual assault, particularly by women—they
are predominantly women—is being reported now like never before. That
is also a good thing. It is terrible that those crimes occur. They are
appalling crimes and, rightly, nowadays,
thanks to the professionalism of the Western Australia Police Force and the
real focus on ensuring that these matters are investigated appropriately
with all the necessary resources, there is much more confidence in the
community and people are reporting, so that has increased, which has
contributed to the numbers the member is referring to.
Individual, random and violent
assaults generally increase with the increase in population. During the last
couple of years of the former government, we witnessed a decrease in the
population. There was a significant exodus from the state because there was not
much hope and so people left Western Australia, as opposed to recent times—over
the five years to which the member referred—when there has been
population growth. The member referred to an increase in violent crime and
individual assaults. They are a small part of the category of crimes against
the person. They have increased by 3.7 per cent and the population has
increased by 3.9 per cent, so it is not surprising that there has been an
uplift over time in that type of assault, because it reflects the population
increase.