NSW Police Commissioner, Michael Fuller APM has welcomed the latest crime figures released today by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR), NSW Police say.
Of the 17 major offences, covering the 24 months to December 2016, six recorded a significant downward trend, 10 remained stable and one – steal from retail store – increased.
Commissioner Fuller said the hard work and tenacity of police officers is paying off through crime being driven down and staying down.
BOCSAR noted steal from retail store has been trending upwards for six successive quarters with most incidents occurring at supermarkets, department stores, and shopping complexes.
The significant drop in six of the major categories include:
- Robbery without a weapon;
- Robbery with a weapon not a firearm;
- Break and enter – dwelling;
- Motor vehicle theft;
- Steal from person; and,
- Fraud.
The incidence of non-fatal shootings is down significantly over the past five years in Greater Sydney and NSW as a whole, and has been stable over the past two years.
Improvements in proactive policing and detection have seen a significant increase in five of the secondary crime categories, including:
- Possession and/or use of amphetamines (up 8.4 per cent);
- Possession and/or use of other drugs (up 10.6 per cent);
- Prohibited and regulated weapons offences (up 6 per cent); and,
- Breach bail conditions (up 13.4 per cent).
Commissioner Fuller said it was important to recognise how the reports figures reflected the hard and ongoing work of police.
"The increase in drug-possession statistics gives me confidence as it’s telling us we are succeeding in disrupting the supply of illicit substances," he said.
"We will be undergoing a re-engineering process with the NSW Police Force with our focus squarely on crime reduction. That’s my commitment to putting our community first in everything we do." Commissioner Fuller said.
