Abuse inquiries linked to sex-offence spike

Cowra Community News
April 13, 2014

http://cowracommunitynews.com/viewnews.php?newsid=6259&id=4

A SPIKE in sex crimes may be the result of more people coming forward to report offenders, police say.

Sexual assaults in New South Wales increased by 125 per cent between 1990 and 2013.

More recently, in the two years up to December 2013, indecent assault and other sex offences jumped by 7.8 per cent, according to the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR) data released yesterday (Thursday).

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas says he believes the Special Commission of Inquiry and royal commission, both addressing institutionalised child sex abuse, have encouraged victims to come forward.

“We feel they have to have had an impact and probably a positive one in more people feeling confident in coming forward and reporting what has happened to authorities,” he’s told Sydney journalists.

“That can’t be a bad thing.”

The main contributor to the rise in the crime category comes from indecent assault offences on girls aged 10 to 15.

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione says most of the offences were committed by people the victims knew.

Fraud offences increased by 13.2 per cent, with credit card fraud the main factor.

“We know there are criminal gangs out there committing fraud via skimming and online deception offences,” says Commissioner Scipione.

Weapon offences including gun possession have increased by 15 per cent.

Deputy Commissioner Kaldas says 78 per cent of that increase was for offences committed outside Sydney.

“I am not sure what that tells us yet,” he says.

As the NSW Government’s new suite of alcohol-related violence laws settle in, the crime statistics in the past 24 months also show a steady-to-decreasing rate in assaults near licensed premises.