Police Cautions

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:14): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the Attorney-General regarding police cautions for criminal activity.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: I fully acknowledge, before I ask questions of the Attorney, that some of these matters fall within the Minister for Police's portfolio, but no doubt he will have a strong interest in these as well. It was recently reported that some 2,555 adult offenders have been let off by police this year to date in South Australia as part of a system implemented by South Australian police seven years ago to ease court delays. SAPOL figures have shown an increase in crime in the past year in the Adelaide city area, including North Adelaide, of some 7,744 incidents previously to now being 8,482.

In response, traders have called for the introduction of actual fines to deter would-be offenders and for criminals to pay for any damage caused to property, with smashed windows and broken doors being a common problem according to one of these business owners who I have spoken to. My questions to the Attorney-General are:

1. Has the Attorney-General consulted with the Minister for Police and other government officers on this matter to discuss possible solutions to the rise in crime?

2. Has the state government or one of its representatives met with the traders in the CBD and North Adelaide to discuss their concerns with property damage and, if not, when will this occur?

3. Finally, specifically for the Attorney-General, is the Attorney considering any legislative amendments to restrict offenders being given only cautions when a more significant penalty, such as a fine, may be more appropriate?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:16): I thank the honourable member for his question. I might start with the last one, perhaps, about any proposed legislative change in relation to the use of cautions. I can inform the honourable member that no consideration has been given to the use of, I think they are termed, adult cautions because there is a different system that applies to youth justice.

Regarding the discretion the police have and the way that they use it, I am sure we all appreciate the job that police do, particularly after the incident we saw yesterday. It is a very, very demanding and a very difficult job, and police regularly put themselves in harm's way for the benefit and protection of the rest of us.

We haven't had any indication that there is an inappropriate use of cautions. I know that there is a whole array of how police can deal with matters, and I suspect that most of the time we put our trust and faith in police that they are using the powers, the tools they have, at their discretion to do the best for community safety. But there is no current proposal for legislative change, which I think is the first part of the question.

In relation to other parts of the question that deal with crime, and I think the honourable member particularly mentioned property-related crimes in the CBD and North Adelaide, I am happy to take those on notice not just to the police minister but other ministers to see how those issues are being canvassed. I thank the honourable member for his question and his contribution and his longstanding interest in the safety of South Australians.