The targeting of recidivist offenders has resulted in continuing reductions in property related crime in including house break-ins, theft and motor vehicle theft and related offences in South Australia, the latest crime statistics have revealed.
The December rolling year crime statistics reveal the total number of property related offences has decreased by six per cent - or 6,069 offences - with reductions across most offence categories.
The figures also reveal robbery offences have continued to fall in the period, while the number of police officers being assaulted while on duty has continued to increase significantly.
Assistant Commissioner (Metropolitan Operations Service) John De Candia said investigating and charging recidivist offenders and then ensuring they were remanded in custody or on strict bail conditions to prevent further offending was reducing crime rates.
"The reality is that a minority of offenders are continuing to commit the majority of the volume crime offences,'' he said.
"We are identifying the individuals committing these offences through intensive investigations, taking action against them and ensuring they are remanded in custody while awaiting trial.
"Having them either remanded in custody or placed on strict bail conditions limits their opportunity to commit further offences.
"Offences including theft, house break-ins, car theft and robberies are among the most prevalent in the community and impact the most victims.''
Mr De Candia said several significant investigations in November and December had disrupted numerous recidivist offenders and resulted in a reduction in offending.
They included the arrest of six juveniles aged between 12 and 16 years who were breaking into houses and stealing the keys of luxury vehicles across the western, northern and eastern suburbs. The vehicles were being used to commit further offences.
The youths, who are facing charges including aggravated robbery, theft, illegal use of a motor vehicle and breaching bail, have all been remanded in custody or have had bail curfews imposed.
In another significant investigation two females, aged 27 and 23, and a male, 45, were charged in connection with break-ins on three hardware stores and a chemist shop in which numerous items worth around $7,000 were stolen.
They are facing multiple counts of theft and one of the females is also facing drug trafficking charges after GHB, cannabis and methamphetamine was found in a vehicle. All three have been remanded in custody.
The rolling year figures reveal robbery offences decreased by eight per cent - or 41 offences - from 502 to 461 recorded offences.
The number of theft related offences has continued to decline with an eight per cent decrease in offences - or 4,457 offences - from 57,417 to 52,960 offences - in the period. Within that category motor vehicle theft and related offences declined by four per cent, or 552 offences and theft from retail premises dropped by 14 per cent, or 3,435 offences.
The number of reported residential break-ins has continued to drop with an 11 per cent decline - or 678 offences - from 6,115 to 5,437 offences reported in the period. Non-residential break-ins declined by seven per cent - or 261 offences - from 3,646 to 3,385 offences reported in the period.
While the overall number of assaults dropped by one per cent, assaults against police rose by 25 per cent - or 149 offences - in the period. Within the sexual offences category the number of aggravated sexual assaults increased by six per cent - or 85 offences - and the number of child abuse material offences rose by eight per cent - or 18 offences.
On 1 July SAPOL updated crime recording and reporting systems to align with a new crime coding change required by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This has resulted in changes to the look of the published crime tables that include Person and Property offences and the display of other offences categories to ensure a nationally consistent approach to reporting crime. However, ABS counting rules have not changed.
