Crime in Alice Springs
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Crime is a significant social issue in Alice Springs.[1][2][3][4]
Contents
Statistics
In 2009 there were 1432 recorded assaults in Alice Springs,[3] with 65% of assaults involving alcohol.[3][5] Reported assaults had almost doubled since 2004.[3] The Territory's Southern Region Police Commander, Anne-Marie Murphy said that itinerancy, domestic violence and alcohol were the main factors driving up crime rates.[3]
In the 2009-10 financial year, the Northern Territory Justice Department's Quarterly Crime & Justice Statistics report recorded that there were 1632 reported cases of theft, and 906 reports of property damage in Alice Springs.[6][7] 774 homes and businesses were broken into during the 2009-10 financial year.[6][7]
Crime increase
The NT Justice Department's Quarterly Crime & Justice Statistics report documented increases across multiple categories of crime in Alice Springs in the 6 years between the 2004-05 and the 2009-10 reporting periods.[7] Recorded cases of assault rose by 87%,[7] sexual assault offences rose by 97%,[7] and house break-ins increased by 64%.[7]
Break-ins to commercial premises rose by 185%,[7] and 'motor vehicle theft and related offences' increased by 97%[7] on 2004-05 figures.[7]
2015 saw national concern focused on youth crime in Alice Springs, including incidents in which rocks were thrown at police.[8][9]
Response to crime
In 2008, the Alice Springs town council began to hire private security guards to patrol the town, at a cost of $5000 per week.[4] The Northern Territory government has been accused of underfunding social services for Aboriginal people in Alice Springs,[4] as part of a wider problem of underfunding across central Australia.[4] Alice Springs Mayor Damien Ryan has indicated that crime has increased as more people migrated into the city from remote communities.[10]
Some long-time residents of Alice Springs have moved away as a direct result of crime concerns.[1] Local businesses have spent increased amounts to upgrade the physical security of their premises from property crime,[10][6] including the use of high security fences, razor wire and security cameras.[10][6]
See also
- Crime in the Northern Territory
- Alice Springs Correctional Centre
- Alice Springs Juvenile Holding Centre
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 http://www.nt.gov.au/justice/policycoord/documents/statistics/32/Issue-32-Fact-Sheets.pdf
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
