Reporting Crime in the Melbourne CBD 0281 Crime Reporting Rpt 28/11/01 11:48 AM Page I
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
0281 Crime Reporting Rpt 28/11/01 11:48 AM Page 1 Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee Reporting Crime in the Melbourne CBD 0281 Crime Reporting Rpt 28/11/01 11:48 AM Page i M E I A N L T R O A F P V I I A C T O R PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA DRUGS AND CRIME PREVENTION COMMITTEE Reporting crime in the Melbourne Central Business District ORDERED TO BE PRINTED November 2001 by Authority Government Printer for the State of Victoria No. 120 – Session 1999-2001 0281 Crime Reporting Rpt 28/11/01 11:48 AM Page ii The Report was prepared by the Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee. Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee Reporting Crime in the Melbourne Central Business District DCPC, Parliament of Victoria. The Committee records its appreciation to Ms Chantel Churchus, Honours student in Criminology, University of Melbourne. Ms Churchus undertook a detailed content analysis of newspaper crime reportage in the Melbourne Central Business District 1995-2000 whilst on a supervised field placement with the Committee. Her contribution to this report is greatly appreciated. ISBN: 0-7311-5287-5 Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee Level 8, 35 Spring Street Melbourne Victoria 3000 Phone: (03) 9651 3546 Fax: (03) 9651 3603 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/dcpc page ii 0281 Crime Reporting Rpt 28/11/01 11:48 AM Page iii Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee Members The Hon. Cameron Boardman, M.L.C – Chairman Mr. Bruce Mildenhall, M.L.A. – Deputy Chairman The Hon. Robin Cooper, M.L.A. Mr. Kenneth Jasper, M.L.A. Mr. Hurtle Lupton, M.L.A. The Hon. Sang Minh Nguyen, M.L.C. Mr. Richard Wynne, M.L.A. Committee Staff Ms Sandy Cook Executive Officer Mr Peter Johnston Legal Research Officer Dr James Rowe Researcher Ms Michelle Heane Office Manager page iii 0281 Crime Reporting Rpt 28/11/01 11:48 AM Page iv Functions of the Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee The Victorian Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee is constituted under the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968, as amended. Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 Section 4 EF. To inquire into, consider and report to the Parliament on any proposal, matter or thing concerned with the illicit use of drugs (including the manufacture, supply or distribution of drugs for such use) or the level or causes of crime or violent behaviour, if the Committee is required or permitted so to do by or under this Act. Terms of Reference Received from the Legislative Council 1 March 2000 That pursuant to the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968, the Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee be required to inquire into, consider and report on the following: ‘The incidence of crime in Victoria and to report every six months to the Parliament on levels of crime, areas of emerging concern and (where suitable) options for crime reduction or control’. page iv 0281 Crime Reporting Rpt 28/11/01 11:48 AM Page v Chairman’s Foreword Melbourne is a city of contradiction. While its beauty and atmosphere cannot be understated, an uneasy perception has evolved in recent years that the city is unsafe. This report, the third in a series of crime trends reports to the parliament, presents a comprehensive overview of the extent of crime in the city and gives details of the responses to this by government and community sectors. It also compares community perceptions regarding criminal activity in the city with the official recorded crime statistics and examines the role the media plays in contributing to public perceptions. For the purposes of this report, the examination area includes Melbourne’s Central Business District, Docklands, Southbank (including Crown Casino) and parts of East and West Melbourne. The examination of media reporting of crime is confined to the print media, and to Victoria’s two largest daily newspapers. The Committee advertised and invited submissions from many diverse public and community agencies. It also examined initiatives from the City of Melbourne, Victoria Police and other organisations to determine their effectiveness. Unfortunately the Committee concluded that overall crime in the CBD had increased progressively over the last five years. It must be noted, however, that crime in the CBD accounts for a small proportion of crime in the whole state. Offences of particular note include drug offences, robbery and theft. Due to the demographics of the CBD, these offences are more prevalent than in other parts of the state. A contributing factor to the increase in the level of some offences in the CBD may be that intensive policing activities were conducted during the examination period. Such policing activities may have led to greater media reporting of crime in the CBD, which strongly influences public perception. However, there was noticeable disparity between the type of offences that were most prevalent in the city and those which gained frequent media coverage. Clearly the media will report on issues that are considered most newsworthy. For ex- ample, the offence of Homicide, although a very small proportion of overall officially recorded crime, is considerably more reported on by the media than other offences com- prising a much higher percentage of overall crime. Public order offences, such as begging, also form a very small proportion of overall recorded crime, but feature heavily in media reporting. Conversely, Theft offences are by far the most common offences committed in the CBD but these receive minimal media coverage. While the Committee can appreciate the motives behind the media’s reporting, it notes how such reporting compares to official crime statistics and the influence the media has in contributing to community perceptions about levels and types of crime. Overall, the Committee notes that public perception is a critical factor when determining whether the CBD is considered safe or otherwise. The Committee, however, makes no comments whether such perception is accurate. The Committee simply puts forward the evidence and asks the reader to interpret the findings on the basis of the information contained within the report. Cameron Boardman MP Chairman page v 0281 Crime Reporting Rpt 28/11/01 11:48 AM Page vi Executive Summary The Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee received from the Legislative Council a reference to inquire into crime trends in Victoria. This included consideration of both the incidence and level of crime, as well as the areas of emerging concern. One such concern identified by the Committee has been the level of crime within the Melbourne Central Business District. Of particular concern has been the perception that crime in the Melbourne CBD is increasing at a dramatic and disproportionate rate. These issues form the basis for this Report. Part A – Introduction Chapters 1 and 2 discuss the framework within which this Inquiry was undertaken. They outline the history and background of the Inquiry, introducing its key themes and providing an overview of the research process. Chapter 3 provides a demographic profile of the Melbourne CBD. It gives some emphasis to the consistent growth in all sectors of city activity, an indication of the continued attraction of the CBD as an area of residential, commercial and leisure activity. Chapter 4 discusses the longstanding tendency for criminal activity to be concentrated within the urban environment. Drawing upon criminological research, it provides an academic explanation for this disproportionate concentration. Reference is made to a number of historical newspaper reports of crime and antisocial activity in the Melbourne CBD. These both illustrate academic explanations and underline the fact that crime has long been a feature of the urban environment that is the Melbourne CBD. Part B – The Official Picture: What Recorded Crime Statistics Say The chapters in this section provide a detailed analysis of the nature and extent of crime in the Melbourne CBD from 1995–2000. They do so by drawing directly on Victoria Police crime statistics. Chapter 5 provides a brief introduction to the use of Victoria Police crime statistics. It notes the use of counting rules and offence rates and addresses specific issues that need to be understood when interpreting Victoria Police crime statistics. Chapter 6 measures the extent to which crime trends in the Melbourne CBD differ from those for Victoria as a whole. It draws attention to the three key findings: N That the number of offences committed in the Melbourne CBD is increasing at a proportionately greater rate than the state as a whole; N That crime in the Melbourne CBD represents, on average, less than 5 per cent of crime committed throughout the state; and page vi 0281 Crime Reporting Rpt 28/11/01 11:48 AM Page vii N That the nature of crime trends in the Melbourne CBD differs markedly from the rest of the state. This is a reflection of the demographic and functional characteristics that make the CBD unique. Chapter 7 provides an analysis of statistical details of crime committed in the Melbourne CBD. Particular attention is paid to changes in the commission of certain offences and to the geographic location of criminal activity in the CBD. A steady growth of criminal activity is noted. Much of this growth is shown to be the consequence of a rise in drug-related crime and in crimes against property. Interestingly, while drug-related crime has increased significantly, it remains a very minor proportion of criminal activity within the CBD. However, contrary to popular perceptions, crimes against property comprise the vast majority of criminal offences committed in the Melbourne CBD. A disproportionate amount of criminal activity is located in areas such as Bourke and Flinders Streets. The reasons for this apparent concentration are discussed, with emphasis given to the nature and extent of activity in these areas.