Serious crime rises again in Qld, youth offenders drop
Fraser Barton and Nick Gibbs |
Serious crimes are on the rise in Queensland for the second consecutive year while the rate of youth offending has dropped, data from the state government statistician’s office has revealed.
The 2021-2022 crime report released on Thursday shows all offences covering people, property and others grew 8.1 per cent in a year, with offences against the person rising 46.3 per cent.
Assault crimes saw a 60.8 per cent annual increase, sexual offences up 14 per cent, robbery up 18.4 per cent and breach of domestic violence order rose 16.7 per cent.
The statistics partly a reflect a change in Queensland police recording of domestic violence offences in July 2021, Commissioner Katarina Carroll said.
Now individual crimes such as assault, strangulation and sexual offences that are associated with a domestic violence incident are recorded separately.
Ms Carroll said the change was a good thing because it gives a clearer picture of exactly what’s happening.
“We’re actually now getting a real insight into the offences associated with domestic violence, and it is a sad reflection,” Ms Carroll said.
“The fact that the occurrences are constantly increasing is also something very difficult to deal with and to understand.”
A Commission of Inquiry into the Queensland Police responses to domestic and family violence last year pointed to elements of sexism, racism and misogyny and a lack of resources.
Ms Carroll is confident the organisation has “improved dramatically” in its reform agenda, and has a strategy that is “trauma informed and victim-centric”.
“It is a societal issue that we all need to have a very loud conversation about because I want those stats to decrease dramatically.”
The statistics grow more alarming over a 10-year data set, with rape and attempted rape up 115.5 per cent from 2012-2013, assault increasing by 118.1 per cent and domestic violence order breaches up 221.4 per cent.
Almost half the number of sexual offences recorded in the annual statistics were against females aged between 0-19.
The rate of ‘unique’ or first-time child offenders has continued to decline across the state to 1926.4 per 100,000 persons aged 10-17 years – the lowest level recorded over the 10-year period.
The report also found there were more than 20 per cent fewer unique youth offenders in 2021-22, compared to 2012-13.
Tough and harsher youth justice laws were recently legislated by the government to target a “small cohort of hardcore offenders” responsible for a disproportionate number of youth offences.
Police Minister Mark Ryan says the laws are part of an unrelenting approach to curb youth crime.
“While the rate of unique youth offenders and rate of unique adult offenders has declined according to the report, the reality is that there is a hardcore group of recidivist offenders who have to be held accountable,” he said in a statement.
“That’s why the government recently passed tough new laws that target those hardcore offenders with a new breach of bail offence, among many other measures.
AAP
