VICTORIA CRIME – CAPITAL OF AUSTRALIA – HOMES HIT EVERY 2 HOURS – CARS STOLEN EVERY 43 MINUTES

The latest crime figures released by the Insurance Council of Australia are not surprising, but the magnitude of the problem is nevertheless a shock.

‘3900 property theft and burglary claims last financial year- nearly as many as the total for the combined tally for NSW and Qld – a home hit every two hours.’

More importantly, it supports the repeated claims of the CAA of Victoria being in the midst of a crime tsunami.

There will be a lot of hand-wringing and excuses from those who are responsible; however, most culprits are long retired or have moved on, but they need to be named and shamed for their lack of ability to deal with and not recognise the problem – denial seems to be the infection and cause that the current leaders have caught from predecessors.

Over the last decade, the CAA has been addressing the issue, and we do not doubt that if it had been listened to seriously, we would not be in the current situation.

But what would we know? We only have 400 years of policing experience at an executive level and a broad cross-section of disciplines from the community who have been trying to be heard, over the denials and rejections and downright ignorance from those charged with the responsibility of addressing the issue.

One of the many solutions we have presented has been the G-Tag. A system that enables vehicles to be identified by police.

The system enables the avoidance of police pursuits and renders a vehicle a liability to thieves.

Imagine how many crimes would be avoided if criminals couldn’t access or use a vehicle- 90%?

It makes incredible sense to reduce the one essential tool criminals use to commit crime: a motor car.

Moreover, the danger to police and the community from high-speed pursuits or other high-speed events, without risking the lives of police, the community, and the perpetrator/s, must now be seriously examined with a view to implementation

It’s like organised crime, where the target is always the leader; targeting the foot soldiers of the group would be twice as effective – a leader cannot lead if nobody is willing to be led.

With the proliferation of Task Forces targeting the ringleaders of organised crime, over the last decade, there has not been any serious or sustained impact on the unacceptable crime rate, and a more pragmatic approach to policing and law enforcement is required.

While there will always be a need for some multidisciplinary Task Force groups, the number must be curtailed in favour of bringing all police stations back to full strength as a Force priority.

The Courts play an important role in crime prevention and in providing a fair legal system. While the conviction rate seems not to be a problem, with Police generally doing a good job, the reality is that their good work is undermined by woeful Court case management, and decisions that favour the criminal; the argument that the Court has a role to play in trying to discourage recidivism has clearly failed dramatically.

If the judiciary doesn’t change, legislators must intervene with solutions. Top of the list would be a Judicial Review Panel to manage jurists’ performance. They must learn to operate with accountability not only to the law but to the State.

This issue has been danced around for years, with nobody having the intestinal fortitude to tackle the niceties of the legal system to achieve a positive outcome for the community, not the criminal.

A cynic may conclude the whole court process is designed to favour the Legal fraternity and criminals in our society, leaving society miles behind to carry the burdens psychologically, physically, and financially.

The CAA has pressured the Force and the Government on the issue of reservists for over a decade, and we are delighted that the process and policy have begun, with initial feedback from frontline members of the initiative overwhelmingly positive.

This will improve service delivery for all victims.

Let’s hope some of our other initiatives can be addressed in less than a decade, given the unquestionable link between wrong-headed crime strategies and the shocking crime tsunami.

The CAA is and has never been about gaining credits or plaudits, but about guiding the State towards a better environment with effective policing and law enforcement to regain freedoms lost to crime for all society.

Critically, independent review panels need to be established across law enforcement sectors, with the power to bring about change.

The lack of effective use of computer technology is one glaring failure and wastes many staff hours through duplication of effort; the inability to integrate information means that data is recorded multiple times- inefficiency on steroids.

Specifically, policing needs to accept that crime prevention must be a priority, not simply an afterthought to do when they get around to it.

It doesn’t need new commands or the like, but clear, specific, accountable leadership from police executive managers to ensure this less-than-favourite management priority gets the attention it needs to lower crime rates.

Performance accountability, service delivery, and key performance indicators (KPIs) are not only anathema to police at all levels but are equally deplored in the justice system, and until these fundamentals are adequately addressed, we cannot expect to see signs of crime reduction any time soon.

Nobody seems to have worked out that what we are doing in this space isn’t working and that change is needed.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”- Are we insane or just incompetent?

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