Crime across the Northern Tasmania has dropped over the past 12 months, with significant reductions in property crime, business burglaries, motor vehicle crime, shoplifting offences and public order incidents.
Northern District Commander Marco Ghedini said today that total offences for Northern District were down by 7% for the current financial year to date – a reduction of more than 700 offences.
Targeted police operations from Northern Criminal Investigation Division have resulted in 147 illicit firearms being removed from the hands of offenders during this time.
In other key statistics:
• Property offences are down by 10.4%
• Building burglary crime is down by 13.5% representing a reduction of 139 crimes
• Business burglary is down by 35.6% representing a reduction of 112 crimes
• Motor vehicle burglary is down by 9.6%
• Stolen motor vehicle offences are down by 7.5%
• Shoplifting crimes are down by 15.4% representing a reduction of 250 crimes
• Public place assaults have seen a slight decrease
• Bail curfew checks have increased by just under 100% with an additional 3085 checks completed this financial year
• Public order incidents have decreased by 6.6% representing a reduction of 314 offences
"Tasmania has some of the lowest crime rates in the country, and is a very safe place to live, but we know there are a small number of people who do the wrong thing in our communities," Commander Ghedini said.
"The Northern District has continued to focus on community engagement, intelligence-led activities and strategic initiatives to reduce crime and to ensure our community feels safe and supported by our members.
"These latest results highlight the fantastic work our police officers have been undertaking over the past 12 months to help keep our community safe. Our members are working hard, 24 hours a day, to hold offenders to account."
Commander Ghedini said that Northern District Police used a range of measures to crack down on those who choose to commit crime, including taskforce activities, regular high visibility patrols, and proactive intervention strategies.
"Since it was established, Taskforce Raven has focused on recidivist offenders, resulting in a significant number of arrests, and prosecutions."
The latest Taskforce Raven statistics financial year to date are:
• 218 arrests
• 153 summons
• 2027 charges laid
• 76 persons detained for court
• 439 Offence Reports cleared with $88k worth of stolen property recovered
• 23 firearms and 11 Tasers seized
"Taskforce Raven will continue to focus on recidivist offenders across Northern Tasmania. I personally thank not only the hardworking members of the taskforce, but all members across the Northern District who have worked collaboratively to keep our community safe."
Commander Ghedini said that road safety would also continue to be a key focus across the district.
Road safety performance has been particularly high, including:
• 31.7% increase in Police Infringement Notices issued. This is particularly disappointing from a driver perspective, especially given the continuous messaging regarding road safety. This does, however, demonstrate the hard work and dedication of our members to keep roads safe.
• Total traffic offenders detected has increased by 27%. This further demonstrates the level of interdiction by police on roads, 24 hours a day.
Commander Ghedini said he was aware that youth offending remained an active community concern.
"Over the past 12 months Northern District has seen an increase in youth prosecutions of 14 per cent," he said.
"We will continue to work with our youth and communities to identify appropriate pathways for early intervention and remain proactive in our visibility and interdiction with recidivist offenders."
Commander Ghedini said the strong positive results highlighted the fact that maintaining a safe community is a collective effort that relies on strong partnerships between police, local government, and the community.
"We're actively planning and remain committed to implementing proactive initiatives and collaborative approaches, to address key issues and further strengthen community safety outcomes," Commander Ghedini said.
Community members can help us address crime by reporting illegal and antisocial behaviour to police at any time of the day on 131 444, or 000 (triple zero) in an emergency.
