Restructure can reduce offences: commissioner
POLICE Commissioner Katarina Carroll has set an ambitious target to reduce the crime rate by 5 per cent, which she says is achievable under a major restructure.
Ms Carroll plans to reach her aspirational target by focusing on demand and preventative measures and by officers focusing on public safety crimes such as stolen cars, break-ins and assaults.
In the 2019 calendar year the rate was 10,645 offences per 100,000 people, according to online police figures.
At the weekend News Corp Australia revealed Ms Carroll wanted more police officers on the beat to keep up with an unprecedented 48 per cent increase in crime call-outs from 2014-15 to 2018-19.
She said there had been massive increases in demand in police callouts for mental health, youth justice and domestic violence incidents.
The service is undergoing a major restructure with the realignment of boundaries and commands and a trial is underway to consider police efficiencies and to reduce duplication.
As she awaits the end of the trial the commissioner is yet to determine how many extra officers are needed, which will need to be approved and funded. But the state’s police union has called for another 1650 police and 350 civilian staff.
Ms Carroll said she believed the 5 per cent reduction target was realistic and her changes would help reduce crime. “Because it will come with performance reviews of the organisation as well,” she said. “It will also come with working better together … bringing more people into the front line and assisting the front line.”
Ms Carroll said once police dealt with increased demand officers would need to work in the “preventative space”.
“If you can concentrate your efforts on the performance as well as assisting at the front end, and dealing with your demand issues, you will reduce crime,” she said.
“People feel, I suppose most challenged in terms of their safety, unlawful use (of vehicles), break and enters, assaults, you need to concentrate your efforts on those and the community will feel safer because, naturally, they’re the ones that people feel the most concerned about.”