Police ‘frustrated’ by repeat offending by youths out on bail as latest crime figures released
A senior cop has lamented youths committing crime while out on bail as the latest statistics reveal changing trends for thefts and assaults.
SA News
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SA Police’s anti-gang crime initiative Operation Mandrake has made fresh arrests but a top cop has revealed his general frustrations with reoffenders often let out on bail by the Youth Court.
It comes as SA Police release their latest crime statistics which show shop thefts continue to increase in South Australia.
Police revealed officers involved in Operation Mandrake arrested six individuals allegedly involved in four separate crime sprees in August.
The latest alleged offenders are facing dozens of charges including serious criminal trespass involving 16 residential and business break-ins.
Other charges relate to allegations of the illegal use of vehicles, using stolen credit cards and petrol theft.
SA Police Metropolitan Operations Service Assistant Commissioner Scott Duval, speaking generally, said police were also frustrated young alleged offenders continued to offend after being released on bail by the Youth Court.
He said police saw numerous examples of multiple offences being committed by individuals who have been released on bail on numerous occasions.
“They are breaking into houses, they are breaking into business premises, they are stealing cars,’’ he said.
“And they do drive at high speeds in stolen vehicles, often filming their exploits and posting to social media.
“This activity is clearly a risk to other road users, their behaviour is dangerous and extreme.’’
The August rolling year figures reveal the number of shop thefts continued to increase with 17,956 offences reported, compared with 16,802 in the previous period.
However, the August statistics show an overall decrease in offences against property while the statistics also reveal house break-ins saw a three per cent decrease with 5691 offences reported, compared with 5840 in the corresponding period.
Car theft and illegal use of a motor vehicle also decreased during the period with 325 fewer incidents – 3582 compared with 3907 in the corresponding period.
Theft from a motor vehicle also fell, from 10,604 offences to 8834 offences.
Fraud and deception related offences also showed a significant decline with a 26 per cent decrease to 4192, with 5686 offences in the previous period.
But, alarmingly, the number of family and domestic abuse related offences reported to police continued to be high with the rolling year figures revealing 13,028 offences were reported to police.
The number of sexual offences reported to police decreased by eight per cent from 2566 offences to 2357 offences in the latest period.
Originally published as Police ‘frustrated’ by repeat offending by youths out on bail as latest crime figures released
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