House of Assembly Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3) 51 3 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Crime Statistics CRIME STATISTICS Ms PORTOLESI House of Assembly Hartley CRIME STATISTICS Ms PORTOLESI (Hartley) (14:10): Will the Minister for Police provide details of the latest ABS crime statistics? The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT House of Assembly Lee Minister for Police Minister for Emergency Services Minister for Recreation CRIME STATISTICS The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT (Lee—Minister for Police, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:10): The latest report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, issued today, shows that crime rates are continuing to fall in South Australia. According to the bureau's Recorded Crimes—Victims report 2008, SA's crime rate has fallen for the sixth year in a row, with latest figures revealing that crime has dropped by 6.7 per cent overall since 2007 and by a huge 38 per cent since 2002. This equates to 6,366 fewer offences committed in 2008 compared to 2007, and 54,522 fewer offences than in 2002. Since 2007 South Australia has experienced drops in the following categories: attempted murder, down by 9.8 per cent; kidnapping/abduction, down by 10.4 per cent; sexual assault, down by 5.6 per cent; armed robbery, down by 4.3 per cent; unarmed robbery, down by 2.1 per cent; break-ins, down by 12.4 per cent; motor vehicle theft, down by 18.2 per cent; and other theft, down by 5.4 per cent. The report also shows massive decreases since 2002, with break-ins falling by 46.1 per cent; total robbery falling by 25 per cent; motor vehicle thefts falling by 43.6 per cent; and the murder rate falling by 13.8 per cent. These reductions in our crime rate are no fluke; rather, they are the product of a well-resourced, professional and high-performing police force, coupled with tough new laws introduced by the Rann government. SAPOL's continued focus on reducing crime through clear priorities, advanced technology, problem-solving strategies, benchmarking and performance management of results at both a local and corporate level has ensured that these results could be achieved. Without question, this government's tough approach to law and order means that South Australia is a safer place today. We have successfully managed to turn around the steadily growing crime experienced under the former Liberal government.