January NT crime rates show significant drop in violent crime, assaults but property crime on the rise

A controversial NT Police reform has been put to the test in the latest January crime trends, which show an overall drop in violent crime in the Territory. See how your region compared.

Minister Brent Potter and Acting Commander John Atkin looks at the SerPro, a modern, proven and integrated digital policing system in the NT. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Violent crime rates dropped across the Territory amid the rollout of a new highly-contested police case management system which promised to provide ‘more efficient policing’.

In the second month of data collection under the new NT Police system SerPro, cops have reported a drop in assaults, acts intended to cause injury, sexual assaults, dangerous and negligent acts across the Territory amid a rise in property crime.

In November the $58m integrated IT system SerPro was fully rolled out, with Police Minister Brent Potter stating it would “future proof” the force despite police union complaints it was not an intuitive system and more complex than the 25-year-old PROMIS system. 

Minister Brent Potter at the press conference of SerPro, a modern, proven and integrated digital policing system in the NT. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

In the second release using the new system, the provisional police statistics found there was a decrease in violent crimes, with 973 offences against the person in January — an average of 31 attacks across the Territory each day.

In December NT Police responded to 1030 reported violent offences, including homicide, assaults, deprivation of liberty, harassment and robbery.

NT Police said 61 per cent of 851 reported assaults were domestic violence related.

Darwin and Tennant Creek were the only two regions where crimes against the person increased, with 25 additional violent crimes in Darwin and eight more in Tennant Creek compared to December.

But there were significant drops in violent crime rates in Alice Springs, Palmerston, Katherine, Nhulunbuy and in remote areas.

However property crime rates increased in January, with more home and commercial break-ins, theft and property damage.

There were 1966 reports of crimes against property, 245 more than December, with the most significant increase in house break ins.

An average of 14 homes were broken into each day in January, with 429 attempted and actual burglaries across the Territory.

There was a 150 per cent increase in Darwin home break ins, from 36 to 90 in January, 50 per cent increase in Alice Springs to 188 reported incidents, and increases in burglaries also recorded in Palmerston, Katherine, Nhulunbuy and in remote areas.

Across the Territory there was a decrease in the number of car thefts, which dropped from 60 motor vehicle thefts in December to 54 in January.

Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro claimed the provisional data was proof that the “crime crisis” was “out of control”, and called for the implementation of rehabilitation programs to address reoffending, tougher bail laws and lowering the age of responsibility.

Despite the Corrections Commissioner repeatedly raising his concerns about rising remand rates and stating the Department could not build its way out of record-breaking prison numbers, Ms Finocchiaro maintained that tougher bail laws was the solution to crime.

Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro claimed the provisional data was proof that the “crime crisis” was “out of control”. Picture: Fia Walsh

After Chief Minister Eva Lawler stated that she was not planning any new legislation around bail laws, Ms Finocchiaro said this was a sign of a government with “no new solutions or credibility”.

“What we see is a government who are more interested in blaming others for their past failures rather than taking accountability,” she said.

Ms Finocchiaro also claimed that another “crime crisis” solution was lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 years old, despite NT Police Annual Report reporting that youth crime made up less than 15 per cent of all crime the Territory.

According to the NT Courts over the past four decades to 1984, there were only been 1375 official criminal files against children under 12 — an average of just 35 cases a year.

Originally published as January NT crime rates show significant drop in violent crime, assaults but property crime on the rise