DEVELOPMENTS IN AUSTRALIAN CRIME

VICTIMISATION SURVEYS

Types of Surveys

National Crime and Safety Survey (3 yearly - 2005)

Personal Safety Survey (Violence) (irregular 2005)

General Social Survey (irregular - 2006)

National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Survey (irregular)

National Survey of Community Satisfaction of Policing (Qtrly)

ICVS (irregular)

IVAWS (irregular)

Collects information from households and individuals about experience of selected crimes, reporting behaviour to police and crime related risk factors

Robbery (break in, attempted break ins)

Theft of Motor Vehicles

Assault

Sexual Assault

Fear of crime

Neighbourhood crime problems

Crime and Safety Survey Offences

Crime and Safety Survey: ContentWhat problems from crime/public nuisance are there in neighbourhood?

How safe/unsafe do you feel at home by yourself during the day?

safe/unsafe at home by yourself after dark?

Did an offence occur?

How many times?

When/where did the most recent offence occur?

Weapon Used?

Physically injured?

Saw the offender?

How many offenders?

Age/sex of offender?

Did you know the offender?

Location of offence?

Reactions of incident by victim?

Force/violence used?

Attempt to try to use/threaten to use violence against victim

Content continued

Time of day/day of week

Did you tell police about most offence?

Reason police not told?

How reported to police - in person, phone, etc

What did the offenders do?

Do you consider this to be a crime?

Content continued

Runs off the labour force survey

54,000 persons

27,000 households

76% response rate (2002 survey)

1 person for household crimes

all persons aged 15+ for personal crimes

all persons aged 18+ for sexual assault

Survey Sample

Strong demand for crime and safety survey data in Australia

Users have asked ABS to consider options to improve survey methods and adopt a more integrated approach to crime and safety surveys

Main issues for users are:

Freqency - broad annual headline indicators of crime

responsiveness - need to handle new and emerging areas of crime

Flexibility - accommodate core and optional modules to respond to emerging issues

Geography - small area data

Crime Statistics Survey Review

Survey Review Findings

Current content of NCSS appears to be satisfactory

Sexual Assault and Family Violence flagged as key policy priority areas by government

Need to maintain time series

Flexibility

Incorporate new and emerging areas of crime

State/territory data as a minimum

Need for broad annual headline indicators of crime

Demand for new and emerging crimesNew and emerging content

Business victimisation (including e-crime)

Internet scams

Fraud (consumer, identity and superannuation fraud)

Other deception offences

Vandalism

Theft from Motor Vehicles

Theft of mobile phones

Juvenile crime

Racially based assault

Risk factors to victimsation

more information about demographics of victims and offenders, relationship of victim to offender and location

more information on high risk population groups (indigenous, recent immigrants, people with mental illnesses, prisoners, homeless, etc)

model crime and safety data with other survey data or administrative data (e.g. police data)

new and emerging crimes continued

Self reported crimes

interest in knowing about self reported crimes by offenders

similar to questions asked in our Indigenous survey

Indigenous statistics

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population

Indigenous people account for a small part of the population but per head of population have higher imprisonment rates, etc

Frequency

Annual headline indicators of crime

Indicators would help them to develop, implement and measure new policies and programs around fear of crime in the community and reduction in crime

Implement strategies for downstream effects on criminal justice system (courts and prisons)

Indicators would include a limited set of household and personal crimes, basic demographic data, perceptions of crime and safety, reporting to police

Police agencies have an interest in indicators to assist in operational policing strategies

Detailed characteristics to be collected less frequently

Where to from here with the review?Further consultation with users to further understand specific user need

User needs will be factored into the ABS Household Survey Review Program to determine priorities for our future social statistics program (conducted during 2006)

Crime statistics will compete with other social statistics demands