SA Police announce extra officers to be deployed to North Tce precinct

Days after claiming crime in the CBD wasn’t increasing, police have confirmed they will now bolster their presence in one of the city’s most troubled spots.

Police are seen along North Terrace at night, Adelaide last week. Picture: Morgan Sette)

A new police crackdown on rising city crime and anti-social behaviour is being enforced following mounting concern over shop thefts, the state’s most senior officer has revealed.

Just two days after she claimed increasing CBD crime was a public “perception”, Acting Police Commissioner Linda Williams said additional officers would be deployed around the North Tce precinct.

Operation Paragon resources will be “significantly boosted” to include district police, and Licensing Enforcement, State Operations Support branches, Road Policing Section, Mounted Operations Unit, and the heavily armed Security Response Section.

Police will also use CCTV cameras to “identify issues and … identify people post offending” as evidence.

Ms Williams said the “presence of additional police officers around the North Terrace precinct is a high priority”.

“We understand the fear of crime in the city and having additional police officers in the area will provide reassurance to the community,” she said.

The Advertiser has revealed how authorities are battling alcohol-fuelled violence and anti-social behaviour blighting Adelaide’s most popular areas amid reports harassment and petty CBD street crime is still a “big problem”.

They want to solve rising “harm” and anti-social problems at “hotspot” areas around the western part of North Tce, which includes the Convention Centre, railway station and Parliament House.

Local business manager Virginia Iommazzo observes police at the Railway Station precinct of North Tce. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Ms Williams, who is acting in the role while Grant Stevens is away, previously said senior officers were investigating widening “declared public precinct” laws on Friday and Saturday nights to seven days.

This would give officers special powers to remove and ban people from a specific area, conduct random searches for weapons or drugs as well as issue $344 fines for petty crime.

It would also allow police with concerns about minors or children to be removed from dangerous situations and return them home, to another safer location where they be cared for properly.

The laws, which were introduced almost 10 years ago to combat rising CBD violence at the time, are currently enforced for 12 hours from 6pm in Adelaide’s West End from Currie Street to North Tce and between King William Street and West Tce.

The Parliament and Railway Station precinct of North Tce by day. Picture: Brenton Edwards

And at night. The Advertiser/ Morgan Sette

While Ms Williams pointed to some crimes either falling or being “steady” in the past six years, official police figures show offences in the heart of Adelaide have more than doubled in a decade.

On Wednesday, Ms Williams said police were considering the crackdown for the area that would focus “anti-social, disorderly type of behaviour”.

She said: “We are making an assessment as to whether we should extend that to seven days because we think that would be quite useful but that has got to be … an evidence based approach.

“So we’re putting that together.

“Sometimes these are circuit breakers for the behaviour that’s occurring.”

Police are seen interacting with a man along North Terrace at night. The Advertiser: Morgan Sette

Hospitality staff are being forced to escort frightened tourists and visitors back to CBD hotels as the state’s liquor watchdog extends takeaway alcohol sale restrictions until the festive season.

A special state government safety body, which endorsed the almost six-month ban extension, last week heard city anti-social behaviour was still a “big problem”, particularly around Adelaide Railway Station on North Tce.

Police and agency officials have been warned that frightened tourists, and city visitors, have sought help from bar and restaurant staff to walk back to their hotels.

Senior officers told the Safety and Wellbeing Taskforce that numerous calls were “needing police attention” despite early results showing restrictions may be working.

Police Deputy Commissioner, Linda Williams said shop theft “is one of the areas of concern for police and has been for quite sometime”. Picture: Matt Loxton

Ms Williams said shop theft “is one of the areas of concern for police and has been for quite sometime”.

“We’ve seen a steady increase in this,” she said.

“We’re working with certain retailers partners on this and that’s been a really good project identifying repeat offenders/

“We’ve made a significant number of arrests in that category.

“But it is of concern that it is on the rise. And as we identify, there might be multiple reasons for that. And we have to work with those partner agencies to try and reduce this type of offending.”

Speaking at a parliamentary committee on Monday, Ms Williams said “crime is returning to pre-Covid levels”.

“I don’t think that there’s a vast increase. There is some areas where crime is increasing,” she told MPs.

Committee chair Heidi Girolamo responded with: “I think a lot of businesses or people within the CBD would disagree, I think it has increased significantly”.

But acting Commissioner Williams disagreed.

“No there’s a perception, then there’s the reality of the crime stats, which is what I’m referring to,” she said.

Under state law, a maximum penalty for re-entering a Declared Public Precinct is $2500.

A person who is ordered to leave, but remains, re-enters, or attempts to re-enter, the Declared

Anyone guilty of carrying an “offensive weapon or dangerous article” with the zones faces a fine of up to $10,000 or a maximum two years’ imprisonment.

Under the laws, launched in 2016 and a year later introduced in the West End, those who refuse orders to leave can be fined up to $1250. Disorderly fines of $344 can also be issued.

An Advertiser poll earlier this week found almost three quarters of almost 1200 votes agreed the CBD was more dangerous than a year ago.

Opposition spokesman, Vincent Tarzia, said the Liberals would welcome any further increases to resources to the CBD.

Attorney-General Kyam Maher said he would consider any new requests considering statutory requirements.

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