Crime across South Australia has fallen for a third straight month year-on-year, the state government says.
The government says new laws, more electronic monitoring and greater recruitment campaigns are having an impact.
The announcement came as another group of overseas police officers were sworn into SA Police (SAPOL) ranks at the police academy.
Police Minister Dan Cregan says the work of officers are driving down offences.
“South Australia has the lowest youth offender rate of any state and we won’t tolerate groups of young people committing violent acts that put the community at risk,” he says.
“We have passed the toughest penalties in the nation for criminal ringleaders who seek to recruit children; up to 15 years in jail.”
He claims “strong action” is being taken to break youth offences, upgrading the Kurlana Tapa Youth Training Centre and boosting support and early intervention programs.
“We have more frontline officers per capita than any other state and are finding more ways to attract new recruits and retain police throughout their careers,” Cregan says.
“Our recruitment pipeline is expanding, at home and abroad, to bolster frontline policing and keep our growing community safe.”
SAPOL wants to recruit up to 200 officers.
Already, 34 officers (mostly from the UK) have started a fast-tracked program to get them on frontline while 15 other recruits started training in November.
A recruitment campaign that targeted the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada attracted more than 500 applications; nearly 90 offers have been accepted so far, the SA government says.
The next course is due to start in March with 18 recruits already confirmed.
POLICING TRENDS
According to the government:
- The November rolling year period shows over 1600 fewer offences reported against a person and against property (122,460 offences) compared to 124,099 offences previously — a 1 per cent decrease in crime overall.
- Total offences fell in the October and September rolling year periods while ABS data shows South Australia has the lowest youth offender rate of any state.
- Latest SAPOL crime figures recorded falls in: robberies (26 per cent), theft from a motor vehicle (17 per cent), illegal use (7 per cent), sexual assault (4 per cent) and serious home criminal trespass (3 per cent).
- Police assaults were down 6 per cent and shoplifting fell 2 per cent (over 300 offences) due to a greater police presence and crackdown on retail crime.
- New barring orders on their way will protect retail staff which gives businesses and police more power to ban violent persons.
- Hundreds of electronic monitoring devices rolled out under an $8.1m package which included strong new bail laws.
- Greater use of electronic monitoring of young people – up 73 per cent since 2020-21 – which resulted in significant falls in bail breaches by some young offenders.