Northern Territory Safe Streets Audit Prepared by the Northern Institute at Charles Darwin University and the Australian Institute of Criminology Anthony Morgan Emma Williams Lauren Renshaw Johanna Funk Special report Northern Territory Safe Streets Audit Prepared by the Northern Institute at Charles Darwin University and the Australian Institute of Criminology Anthony Morgan Emma Williams Lauren Renshaw Johanna Funk Special report aic.gov.au © Australian Institute of Criminology 2014 ISBN 978 1 922009 72 2 (Print) 978 1 922009 73 9 (Online) Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), no part of this publication may in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, microcopying, photocopying, recording or otherwise) be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without prior written permission. Inquiries should be addressed to the publisher. 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Edited and typeset by the Australian Institute of Criminology A full list of publications in the AIC Reports series can be found on the Australian Institute of Criminology website at aic.gov.au Contents vi Acronyms 30 Concentration of assault and public disorder in vii Executive summary crime hotspots vii Current NT Police crime reduction strategies 37 Emerging hotspots and operations 39 Declining hotspots viii Perceptions of safety in the Northern Territory 40 Characteristics of assault offences and public ix Patterns of violence and public disorder in the disorder incidents Northern Territory 54 Benefits of improved data collection ix Opportunities and priorities for Northern 55 Opportunities and priorities for Northern Territory crime reduction Territory crime reduction x Evidence-based strategies to address Northern 56 Focus and scope of crime reduction efforts Territory crime problems 56 Importance of context and issues unique to the x Considerations for the successful Northern Territory implementation of Northern Territory crime 59 Significance of alcohol reduction strategies 60 Violence xi Implications for future crime reduction in the 61 Critical points for intervention Northern Territory 63 Community-based and environmental initiatives 1 Introduction 65 Evidence-based responses 1 Safety audits and crime reduction 66 Evidence-based strategies to address 2 NT Safe Streets Audit methodology Northern Territory crime problems 4 Current NT Police crime reduction 66 Effective policing strategies for local crime strategies and operations problems 7 Perceptions of safety in the Northern 72 Reducing alcohol consumption and related Territory harms 7 Perceptions of safety in the Northern Territory 75 Preventing violence in Indigenous communities 9 Factors influencing perceptions of safety 78 Responding to family and domestic violence 17 Portrayal of crime and police in the NT media 81 Strategies that can be delivered by other 20 Strategies to improve perceptions of safety agencies to reduce crime and disorder 25 Strategic communication 84 Considerations for the successful 26 Patterns of violence and public disorder in implementation of Northern Territory crime the Northern Territory reduction strategies 26 Perceived patterns of violence and public 84 Respond to challenges relevant to the Northern disorder among focus group participants Territory context 27 Analysis of NT Police data 84 Importance of focusing on implementation 28 Overall trends in assault offences 85 Problem solving and crime prevention Contents iii 87 Supporting innovation 36 Table 10 Public disorder incidents, by common 88 Sustainable funding place name (deidentified) and police division, 2012 (Katherine and Alice Springs police 88 Community readiness and engagement divisions only) 90 Partnership arrangements 37 Table 11 Responding to crime hotspots 92 Performance monitoring and evaluation 38 Table 12 Assault offences, by suburb and year 94 Implications for future crime reduction in (emerging hotspots) the Northern Territory 38 Table 13 Assault offences, by common place 94 Examples of crime reduction practice currently name (deidentified) and year (emerging being delivered in the Northern Territory hotspots) 96 Future directions 39 Table 14 assault offences, by suburb and year 99 References (declining hotspots) 109 Appendix A: Review of crime prevention 40 Table 15 Assault offences, by common place approaches name (deidentified) and year (declining hotspots) 45 Table 16 Assault offence characteristics, by suburb, 2012 (selected locations) Tables 69 Table 17 Evidence in support of police crime prevention 10 Table 1 Risk factors for fear of crime 73 Table 18 Intervention types targeting alcohol 22 Table 2 Reducing fear of crime—Strategies for consumption and related harms police 80 Table 19 Good practice principles for 24 Table 3 Summary of evidence in support of integrated responses to family violence interventions targeting perceptions of crime 95 Table 20 Examples of crime reduction practice and safety currently delivered in the Northern Territory 31 Table 4 Assault offences by suburb, 2012 (Darwin, Casuarina and Palmerston police divisions only) 32 Table 5 Assault offences, by street (deidentified) Figures and police division, 2012 (Darwin, Casuarina 8 Figure 1 Proportion of respondents who report and Palmerston police divisions only) feeling safe and unsafe, 2011–12 33 Table 6 Assault offences, by street (deidentified) 11 Figure 2 Physical assault victimisation rate by and police division, 2012 (Katherine and Alice state and territory, 2011–12 Springs police divisions only) 13 Figure 3 Perceptions of crime trends between 33 Table 7 Assault offences, by common place 2005 and 2007, Australia name (deidentified) and police division, 2012 13 Figure 4 Estimates of percentage of crimes that (Darwin, Casuarina and Palmerston police involve violence, Australia divisions only) 14 Figure 5 Proportion of persons aged 15 years 34 Table 8 Assault offences, by common place and over who reported speeding cars, name (deidentified) and police division, 2012 dangerous or noisy driving and illegal drugs as (Katherine and Alice Springs police divisions being a major or somewhat problem in their only) neighbourhood, 2011–12 35 Table 9 Public disorder incidents, by common 15 Figure 6 Proportion of persons aged 18 years place name (deidentified) and police division, and over who agreed or strongly agreed with 2012 (Darwin, Casuarina and Palmerston the following statements, 2011–12 police divisions only) iv Northern Territory Safe Streets Audit 16 Figure 7 Sources of information that have 49 Figure 19 Proportion of assault victims, by sex influenced perceptions of the police, 2011–12 and Indigenous status, Alice Springs police 19 Figure 8 Sexual assault and property damage/ division, 2012 theft offences, Darwin police division, 30 50 Figure 20 Annual percentage change in the April–6 May number of assault offences in residential 20 Figure 9 Media coverage of sexual assault and premises by police division, 2012 property damage/theft offences, 30 April–6 May 51 Figure 21 Recorded public disorder incidents in 22 Figure 10 Fear of crime matrix Darwin police division (TCG data only) by time of day and day of week, 2012 29 Figure 11 Proportion of all incidents (involving an offence) and all offences against the person 52 Figure 22 Recorded public disorder incidents in involving an assault offence, 2012 Casuarina police division (TCG data only) by time of day and day of week, 2012 29 Figure 12 Annual percentage change in the number of assault offences, by police division 53 Figure 23 Recorded public disorder incidents in Alice Springs police division (TCG data only) by 41 Figure 13 Assault offences, by time of day and time of day and day of week, 2012 day of week, 2012 (Darwin, Casuarina and Palmerston police divisions only) 54 Figure 24 Recorded public disorder incidents in Katherine police division (TCG data only) by 42 Figure 14 Assault offences, by time of day and common place name (deidentified) and incident day of week, 2012 (Katherine and Alice type, 2012 Springs police divisions only) 71 Figure 25 Effectiveness of different policing 43 Figure 15 Proportion of assault victims, by sex strategies and Indigenous status, 2012 44 Figure 16 Proportion of assault offenders by sex and Indigenous status, 2012 47 Figure 17 Proportion of assault offences that are domestic violence related, alcohol related non-domestic violence or neither, by police division, 2012 48 Figure 18 Proportion of assault offences, by location type, Alice Springs police division, 2012 Contents v Acronyms AIC Australian Institute of Criminology ASIRFDVP Alice Springs Integrated Response to Family and Domestic Violence Project CAAPS Council for Aboriginal Alcohol Program Services CAPS Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy CBD central business district CCTV closed circuit television CPTED crime prevention through environmental design DVICM domestic violence intervention court model FSF Family Safety Framework NRPP National Reassurance Policing Programme NT Police Northern Territory Police Force NT DAGJ NT Department of Attorney