Crime severity soaring in Perth CBD and regional WA

Wednesday 23 March 2022

The WA Police Union’s Crime Severity Score (CSS), which reflects the relative harm of offences rather than counts the raw number of felonies, has climbed 15.0% in Perth city centre and soared 22.2% in regional WA over the past 10 years.

Of the WA Police Force’s eight metropolitan districts, Perth, which includes the central business district and Northbridge entertainment precinct, was the only one whose CSS went up from 2011-12 to 2020-21. Four of the WA Police Force’s seven regional districts experienced CSS increases, and big ones at that: Pilbara (31.2%); Goldfields-Esperance (35.5%); Mid West-Gascoyne (45.1%); Kimberley (96.0%).

Over the past 10 years, WA’s CSS has risen in seven offence categories:

• Abduction and harassment (+68.2%)
• Sexual offences (+61.1%)
• Fraud and deception (+58.6%)
• Acts intended to cause injury (+50.0%)
• Offences against justice (+49.9%)
• Illicit drugs (+48.3%)
• Weapons and explosives (+17.6%)

Mick Kelly, President of the WA Police Union, says his association’s adaptation of the United Kingdom-developed CSS methodology provides a sophisticated, multi-dimensional understanding of WA’s offence statistics and tells some harsh truths.

“WA’s overall crime rate is lower than it was 10 years ago, but our CSS numbers reveal offenders are committing more serious crimes, posing more serious threats to our members and placing them under more serious pressures. Our members deserve more remuneration, more resources and more respite,” said Mr Kelly.

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