Forbes recorded more assaults in 2014, but less property crime.
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The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) has released its 2013 - 2014 comparison, with Forbes recording an increase in domestic and non-domestic assault as well as sexual assault.
Break-ins were down and other types of property crime reasonably stable.
Superintendent Chris Taylor from the Lachlan Local Area Command said crime had reduced in a number of areas but police were not resting on their laurels.
“Any crime statistic is one too many,” he said.
“We are doing all we can.”
While break and enter offences to homes were down in 2014 with a total 54 incidents, Supt Taylor said there had been a recent concerning increase.
“A lot of stealing from dwellings, like stealing from motor vehicles, is opportunistic,” he said.
“People walk past and see something, so they take it.
“Unfortunately the days of not locking your car or home are gone, we have to be vigilant.
“Don’t leave anything valuable in full sight, don’t even leave change in your console - your offenders will break a window to get to it.”
Supt Taylor said people should particularly take extra measures to secure their homes overnight.
“With a lot of these offences, people have locked their front door but left their back door or window open to let the breeze through,” he said.
“I understand that, but get a piece of dowel, cut it to length and jam it in the track so that it can only be opened a couple of inches.”
Supt Taylor said these “opportunistic” types of crime went through peaks and troughs, but police were always looking for patterns that could indicate a broader problem.
He said police were making progress with investigations into the recent wave of break and enter offences.
Last Friday they executed a search warrant on a Cookamidgera property and recovered a ute and generator stolen from Forbes earlier in the week.
“There is further investigation to go with that matter,” he said.
Supt Taylor said police had seen a decrease in thefts from vehicles (primarily driving lights) after arrests made last September.
The incidence of malicious damage is also steadily decreasing across the region.
“Police are out there, we are visible,” he said.
“Person searches are right up - when people are out and about late at night we are asking ‘what are you doing?’.
“We also have CCTV in the central business district so that’s a preventative measure.” But the BOCSAR statistics show the country isn’t always a quiet, safe place to live.
Looking at the rates of recorded criminal incidents per 100,000 population show Forbes recorded double the state rates for domestic violence related assault, sexual assault and steal from dwelling in 2014.
Supt Taylor is hopeful that some of the increases are due to increases in reporting rather than increases in violence.
“There is increasing awareness of domestic violence now, with state and federal campaigns,” he said.
“More people are willing to report what is happening next door now and police will go around.
“Once we are there we do not accept ‘There’s nothing happening’.
“Our legal action rate is right up.”
He said sexual assault reports - from 10 in 2013 to 15 in 2014 - included domestic offences as well as recently reported offences against children decades ago.
Supt Taylor said it was worth noting that Forbes did not register in a lot of major crime categories.
“There are a lot of categories where we don’t even have reportable data, including murder, robbery with a weapon or with a firearm,” he said.
“We are not living in a place where we are fearful of walking down the street.”
Figures from 2014 BOCSAR:
2013 to 2014 increases in:
Domestic violence related assault 81 up from 64
Sexual assault 15 up from 10
Steal from motor vehicle 93 up from 85
Steal from dwelling 67 up from 51
Non-domestic assault 75 up from 72
Break and enter non dwelling 23 up from 22
Motor vehicle theft 22 up from 20
2013 to 2014 decreases in:
Break and enter dwelling 54 down from 74
Indecent assault 11 down from 17
Steal from retail store 11 down from 24
Fraud 48 down from 55
