SA Police crime data reveals a spike in assaults in the Adelaide CBD in 2020/21 compared to the previous financial year

New figures expose a stark new look at Adelaide’s CBD during the pandemic, as it’s revealed how many people each day fall victim to assaults. Explore the data in our interactive crime map.

More than three assaults occurred a day on average in Adelaide’s CBD in the last financial year – a rise from the year prior despite decreased foot traffic in the party district as a result of the pandemic.

The increase in violence has prompted calls for the return of more police patrols on Hindley St as South Australia Police figures reveal 1345 people were assaulted in the city in 2020/21, compared to 1211 in the previous year.

The 2020/21 figures were an increase of 11 per cent than the previous year.

On average, 3.7 assaults occurred a day in the city in the last year, or about 26 a week.

The Adelaide West End Association president Andrew Wallace said city’s main party strip, Hindley St, had seen a reduction of foot patrols due police resourcing in the pandemic.

“Police are really stretched with managing quarantine and doing everything else that they need to do through this pandemic, so there may be times where there are less of them around the streets,” Mr Wallace said.

“They are conscious of this and they are trying to maintain the service levels but there’s only so many bodies to go around.”

He said as restrictions ease for hospitality venues, patrols must be redirected to the streets.

“I think we’ve got lots of cameras we just need to be able to deploy the police … if we’re going to get ourselves back to somewhere that resembles normal, we have to have all the things in place that kept us safe when things were normal,” Mr Wallace said.

“Everything that we do in life needs to become as normal as it can as soon as its safe to do so and that includes policing streets to make sure that everyone’s safe.”

Acts intended to cause injury, including serious assault, common assault, and assault police increased by more than 1000 incidents across the state in 2020/21 compared to the previous year, and Flinders University criminology professor Andrew Goldsmith said the rise may have been due to changed community behaviour in response to the pandemic.

“(There were) Mounting frustrations, I think we’re sort of seeing that lockdown syndrome starting to spill over into the streets,” Professor Goldsmith said.

“One reason to explain it could be people going out in public despite the pandemic … some people will go out anyway if they have a drug habit.”

The 2020/21 statistics included 65 assaults against police officers, an increase of 30 per cent compared to the previous year, where 47 officers were assaulted in the city.

“I think there is a rise in public disquiet around issues like Covid, and I think that puts police in the firing line for a lot of those frustrations,” Mr Goldsmith said.

Police Association president Mark Carroll said the rise in city violence was not surprising.

“The sad part is that these CBD assaults are not actually anything out of the ordinary,” Mr Carroll said.

Police Minister Vincent Tarzia. Picture: Kelly Barnes

Across the state, assaults against police officers were down by 13 per cent, but Mr Carroll said he was disappointed in the rise in violence against officers in the city.

“These are cops on routine jobs in the city, doing what they always do – risking their own safety to keep other South Australians safe.”

SA Police Assistant Commissioner Scott Duval said crime statistics naturally fluctuate, and patrols respond to increased crime in suburbs as they are reflected in the statistics.

He said the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has naturally changed community behaviour.

”I think the way people have reacted to some of the Covid restrictions has probably been different, and that in itself lends to some different things, because we know that people who work in a shops are subject to … abuse and violence,” Assistant Commissioner Duval said.

“Police don't go to work to be assaulted … the dynamics of the Covid environment put some different elements … that cause some different community behaviours.”

Police Minister Vincent Tarzia said SA Police uses an “extensive CCTV network surveillance system” to detect and prevent anti social behaviour.

He said the state government provided grants for the installation of 68 more CCTV cameras in May.

Francesco Candido with daughter Rina Candido (left) and son Larry Candido (right). Picture supplied

Son of a fatal bash victim says CBD thuggery ‘breaks your heart’

By Jason Katsaras

The son of a man, 89, who was bashed in the CBD, has told how he was at Royal Adelaide Hospital when the victim of another brutal city assault arrived there for emergency surgery.

“Obviously it’s happening a lot. We saw police bringing some other poor guy that got knocked out. It just breaks your heart that it happens,” Larry Candido said.

Larry’s father Francesco Candido, 89, suffered critial injuries including a fractured skull when he was punched on Grote St on September 7, in an alleged unprovoked and random daylight attack. He died two weeks later.

The young victim Larry Candido saw at hospital had been involved in a fight on Hindley St on September 18.

The 20-year-old was found unconscious in a critical condition after an altercation at the corner of Morphett and Hindley streets. He was left fighting for life.

Jack Hanley died after being punched in the CBD in 2017.

It was the same spot where in December 2017, 22-year-old Jack Hanley died after he was punched during a drunken brawl at the intersection.

It was a sobering moment for Mr Candido, who said his family was angry about both the fatal attack on his father and the systemic issues which allowed the event to happen.

“We’re definitely angry because it shouldn’t have happened – not angry at the person as such. Maybe he needed help too somewhere along the line.”

Facing court earlier this month over the attack , Joel Raymond Page, 33, had charges of aggravated assault, breach of bond and four counts of breach of bail listed against him. After Francesco Candido died, police said the charges would be upgraded at his next court appearance.

Mr Candido said he “[didn’t] have a lot of faith in the courts system”.

A Leigh St bar owner was charged with allegedly assaulting a woman near his city venue in July.

The 38-year-old victim suffered a large laceration to her head when she was allegedly pushed to the ground by Tarik Nasser-Eddine, 45, near Plain Jane bar.

Nasser-Eddine will appear in court in October.