A FOCUS on property-related crime around the Bathurst local government area has produced good results for police, with reductions in a number of major crime categories.
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Cases of break and enter non-dwelling, motor vehicle theft and steal from retail store have all dropped in the past 12 months, new data shows.
The recently-released NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) data details statewide crime figures for the 12 months to September 2017.
In Bathurst, incidents in 12 of the 17 reporting crime categories have fallen in the past year, while four have risen and one remains stable.
The number of break and enters at non-dwellings dropped from 143 to 87 (down 64.4 per cent), while motor vehicle thefts dropped from 110 to 64 (down 71.9 per cent).
Statewide, the number of thefts from a retail store increased by 4.7 per cent, however, the number of cases in Bathurst fell from 213 to 133 (a decline of 60.2 per cent).
Chifley Local Area Command Acting Crime Manger, Detective Acting Inspector Chris Reay, said police had focused their efforts on property-related crime in recent months.
“Generally it’s committed by a smaller group of people and we’re targeting the right people,” he said of the drop in cases during the reporting period.
“We encourage people to report things, we know where the perpetrators are and where to target.”
We encourage people to report things, we know where the perpetrators are and where to target.
- Chifley Local Area Command Acting Crime Manger, Detective Acting Inspector Chris Reay
Detective Acting Inspector Reay said police work closely with Bathurst’s retailers.
“It’s [theft from retail store] always been a problem and an ongoing issue our crime prevention officer deals with,” he said.
Meanwhile, the BOCSAR data shows the number of sexual assaults in Bathurst have increased from 41 to 52 in the past 12 months.
Detective Acting Inspector Reay said not all incidents in the data were recent and some were historical acts that have only just been reported.
“Most reports are historical in nature and people are encouraged to come forward,” he said.
“It’s very rare that we get a recent sexual assault. We’re getting some that are up to 40 years old.”
Incidents of malicious damage to property have increased in Bathurst, from 542 to 589, an jump of 8.7 per cent.
Detective Acting Inspector Reay said while the BOCSAR data was always welcomed, the statistics do not come as a surprise to officers.
“We talk about it every day, I know where we’re going in different crime categories,” he said. “It’s a live issue and we’re sending out people to where they need to be.”