Page 4801 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 1 November 2017
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(a) ACT Policing is adequately resourced to ensure Canberra remains one of the safest places to live and meet the demands of the community;
(b) according to the most recent ACT Criminal Justice Statistical Profile, in the 12 months to March 2017 the total reported incidents and number of offences increased marginally by 0.4 per cent and 0.5 percent respectively, and the five-year trends demonstrate a stable picture for the overall number of reported incidents and offences;
(c) the ACT is not immune to fluctuations in crime rates and the Government and ACT Policing continue to respond to changes in the crime environment as required;
(d) the ACT Policing Annual Report 2016-17 highlights that while offences reported against property decreased by 7 per cent in 2016-17, offences reported against the person increased by 14.8 per cent;
(e) the increase in offences against the person can mainly be attributed to the focus on family violence and the increase in reporting suggests growing confidence to report family violence incidents to police. The Government has provided funding to increase ACT Policing’s capacity to respond to these demands, including:
(i) $1.180 million over four years in the 2016-17 Safer Families package to employ two dedicated Order Liaison Officers to assist applicants in applying for Family Violence Orders; and
(ii) funding from May 2017 to May 2018 to employ a dedicated female Aboriginal Liaison Officer to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families;
(f) in response to increases in robbery and motor vehicle theft, ACT Policing established a taskforce to focus on volume crime and recidivist offenders. As at 30 June, 40 individuals had been arrested with 20 remanded, 268 charges laid, and over $1.4m of stolen vehicles and property had been recovered;
(g) to assist ACT Policing respond to criminal gang activity, the Government provided an additional $6.4 million to increase the capacity of Taskforce Nemesis, purchase a range of physical and electronic capabilities, and is working with ACT Policing on practical, legislative and operational measures to assist police to target serious and organised crime; and
(h) in addition to the funding provided to ACT Policing, the ACT Government owns and provides seven of the 10 facilities that house ACT Policing:
(i) the Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services 2017 reports the ACT expenditure on police services per person in 2015-16 was $427, which is comparable to Tasmania at $415 per person, South Australia at $431 per person, and Victoria at $433 per person; and
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