Lockdown tattlers cut crime

OLD- FASHIONED neighbourhood surveillance has led crime rates across major categories to plummet during the pandemic, experts say.

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said the state’s daily crime rate in April dropped to its lowest level since 2014 as people stayed home amid coronavirus lockdown.

Statewide, police saw a drop in robberies, residential and commercial burglaries and a decline in family violence. Carjackings and armed robberies increased.

“We saw significant reductions in robbery right across Victoria and that’s primarily because opportunity for that interaction … wasn’t there,” Mr Patton said.

A record 173,000 reports were made to the police assistance line during the peak of the virus in March and April.

The calls, mostly COVID-19 related, resulted in 70,000 recorded breaches.

Deakin University’s Associate Professor of Criminology Darren Palmer said natural surveillance — enhanced by people staying at home — had stopped opportunistic crime.

“A lot of the big volume crime is opportunistic, (like) burglaries, theft from motor vehicle and theft of motor vehicle,” Prof Palmer said.

“In the current climate most of us are home most of the time and neighbours act as natural surveillance.”

But Prof Palmer said that some crime may not have been reported, while other matters were not yet finalised due to changes to court procedures.

“There is a confounding factor that a number of crimes that have been identified might not have been processed through the courts — the hearing might be coming along later,” he said.

“We could expect the number of cleared offences will go up late November.”

Earlier this month, Geelong Superintendent Craig Gillard said that a reduction in reported crime showed the period could be a “launch pad” to reduce community vulnerability and to challenge assumptions on societal issues including crime and road trauma.

Prof Palmer said changes to society as a result of the COVID-19 enforced lockdown — such as greater flexibility to work from home — could help prevent crime rates from soaring to prepandemic levels.

“The larger question is whether there is a greater sense of unity or cohesion that is arising out of the coronavirus,” Prof Palmer said.

“My own experience is that people are very much looking out for each other.”

PROFESSOR DARREN PALMER

MY OWN EXPERIENCE IS THAT PEOPLE ARE VERY MUCH LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER.”