DRUGS, THEFT KEEP CRIME RATE SOARING

A STEEP rise in illegal drug production, theft and driving offences
led to a 9.2 per cent jump in the state's crime rate last year.

Attorney-General Trevor Griffin told an estimates committee hearing
yesterday Office of Crime Statistics figures showed the number of
reported offences rose from 222,955 in 1998 to 243,394 last year.

Coupled with the 11.1 per cent rise reported in 1998, the latest
increase means the state's crime rate has risen by almost 20 per cent
in two years.

Mr Griffin told the committee the latest figures were an improvement
on the previous year.

"The rate of increase is declining," he said.

While the level of rapes and sexual offences, armed robberies and
assaults fell by up to 12 per cent, the rise was driven by increases
in larceny and motoring offences.

The figures reveal selected driving offences rose by 51.7 per cent in
1999, including:

A 143 PER CENT leap in motor vehicle registration offences, with the
number of offenders up from 5326 to almost 13,000.

DRIVING without a licence offences up nearly 50 per cent to more than
2800.

DANGEROUS driving offences up more than one third, with negligent
driving reports also up nearly 30 per cent.

DRIVING with a suspended or cancelled licence up 71 per
cent.

Mr Griffin said the number of recorded offences was "heavily
influenced by police enforcement practices" and driving offences
comprised only 14 per cent of reported crime.

Property offences, which accounted for two thirds of reported crime,
rose by 8 per cent, with damage to property increasing by nearly 16
per cent, housebreaking up 5.3 per cent and shoplifting up 2.8 per
cent.

Despite the latest increase, the figures were lower or comparable to
those recorded in the early 1990s, Mr Griffin said.

Illegal use of a motor vehicle jumped by 9.4 per cent, while reports
for interfering with motor vehicles rose by 25 per cent.

Mr Griffin said increased larceny and motor vehicle offences in the
past two years had "largely wiped out the gains of the previous five
years".

Unarmed robberies dropped by 11 per cent, while the number of armed
robberies fell from 639 to 529.

But drug offences rose, with reports for producing and manufacturing
drugs up from 470 to 705 and the number of reports for selling drugs
or offering them for sale rising from 780 to 882.