The Sunday Telegraph
Sydney - NSW
Alarming surge in assault cases
By BRONWEN GORA
13jun99
ASSAULTS have soared by almost 50 per cent in the last four years, new figures reveal.
Crime statistics show that, since 1994, assaults have leapt 47.3 per cent, from 39,132 a year to 57,646.
In the last two years alone, assault rates in NSW have risen almost 20 per cent.
The Australian Institute of Criminology's Dr Satyanshu Mukherjee said the rise was substantial.
"If you look at the national statistics, NSW is moving fastest," Dr Mukherjee said.
In Sydney, the worst areas for assault are the entertainment strip near George St and Darlinghurst, followed by Campbelltown, Blacktown, Penrith and the Botany area.
AIC figures show startling rises in NSW crime rates compared with the rest of the country.
As the State's assault rate spirals, the offence has increased by just 3 per cent in Victoria and 2 per cent in South Australia since 1995.
AIC director Adam Graycar described the differences between the States which show NSW the crime leader as "stunning".
But he said the problem could be tackled only by policies involving the entire community and police.
"If we focus on law enforcement to the exclusion of family support, health, education and town planning, we are looking very narrowly," Dr Graycar said.
Despite the sharp increase in offending in NSW, there has been little movement in average sentences for assault.
Last week, the Police Association called for a sentence review after an offender was fined just $250 after being found guilty of breaking a policewoman's ribs.
The man who also kicked, punched and kneed Detective Megan Richards during the attack was facing the maximum seven-year sentence.
Although assault figures remain high, the rate of incidents slowed last year in NSW, with a rise of 6 per cent between 1997 and 1998.
Local court sentences for general assaults increased from 3.8 months to 4.1 months over the same period.
Assault and robbery are the two crimes that have increased most significantly in the past few years. Homicide is at its lowest level in a decade, while sexual assault figures have remained static.
Cases of armed robbery have escalated most dramatically. In three years, the number of robberies with a weapon excluding firearms has tripled from 1465 to 4386. While tougher gun laws could account partly for the increase, armed robberies with firearms have also continued to rise, increasing just over 10 per cent from 824 to 913 in two years.
In a recent Police Service Weekly newsletter, Police Commissioner Peter Ryan said crime levels were down to 1996 levels and would be reduced even further to those of 1994.
However, Opposition police spokesman Andrew Tink said NSW's crime rate had gone from one offence being committed every 55 seconds to one occurring every 42 seconds.
"How can Commissioner Ryan say crime rates are going down?" Mr Tink asked.
NSW ASSAULTS
1995: 39,132; 1996: 48,869; 1997: 54,303; 1998: 57,646.
Sydney hot spots annual assault rates per 100,000 people: 1. South Sydney (inner city), 2770; 2. Campbelltown, 1440; 3. Blacktown, 1240; 4. Penrith, 1145; 5. Botany, 1050.
(Note: Think this has anything to do with their restrictive firearms laws??)