NCJ Number
166579
Date Published
1997
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This report provides statistics on the number and type of offenses reported to police in the 1995 calendar year in South Australia and examines the trend in crime and specific offense types from 1981 through 1995.
Abstract
Following an explanation of how crime is measured in South Australia, data are provided on offenses reported to the police under the categories of offenses against the person, property offenses, driving offenses, and drug offenses. In 1995 a total of 209,361 crimes were reported or became known to the police. This was a slight increase (0.9 percent) over 1994, but is a 2.1- percent decrease from 1993. Offenses against property accounted for almost two-thirds (65.7 percent) of all offenses known to the police. By contrast, offenses against the person (excluding sexual assault) accounted for 8 percent, and sexual offenses accounted for less than 1 percent. Of the remaining offense categories, offenses against good order accounted for 12.8 percent; driving offenses, 9.3 percent; drug offenses, 2.1 percent; and robbery and extortion, 0.7 percent. Trend analysis shows that total offenses against the person have increased steadily since the early 1980's; however, the rate of increase is apparently leveling. Property offenses increased steadily throughout the 1980's, reaching a peak of 158,963 in 1990; since that time there has been a general downward trend, with the 1995 figure being 13.5 percent lower than that of 1990. 27 figures