WAR AND CRIME

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 87, 5 January 1918, Page 12

WAR AND CRIME

DECREASE IN NEW SOUTH WALES REDUCED OPPORTUNITIES FOR THIEVES The crime figures for New South Wales, as compared with those of tho year preceding tho outbreak of hostilities, show an appreciable decrease. In 1913, for instance, over 90,000 offences wero committed in New South Wales.. Last year that total had been reduced by nearly 10,000, but although that was a. highly satisfactory falling off, it was only 1500 below 1910. Nevertheless there has been and still is a tendency for tho figures to go_ down, and although complete statistics for tho present year will not be available for several months,'those obtainable at present indicate that there will be a still further reduction this year. This condition is due largely to tho efficiency of the police, and also, according to tho leading crime experts of tho city, to the effect tho war has had on the public life of tho State. Nearly every family has its representatives at tho front, and those that are not mourning for the loss of a relative aro depressed at tho absence of some loved one. Consequently there is,not 1 tho gaiety of pre-war times. There is not tho same desire to be out and about at amusoments, and there has been and still is a protection of property that did not exist prior to 1914. Opportunity makes the thief, and at, thero have been fewer opportunities during the last three and a half years tho number of offences, particularly those against property, have decreased in a manner highly satisfactory to the publio and the police. Tho completo statistics at present available are for 1913, 1914, 1915, and 1916, and they show that tho offence* agaiust the person for the year beforo the war and for the three years following were 4901, 5132, 4685, • and 4290; those against property with violence, 1350, 1452, 1480, and 1572those against property without violence, 6153,;6206, 6731, and 6003those against the currency, 83,123, 110,' and 94; those against good order' 52 720, 53,689, 42,210, and 39,956; and" other offences, 25,057, 25,865, 27,238 and 28,400. ' ' '

The year's totals were: 1913, 90,264' 1914 52,467; 1915, 85,454; and 1910 00,910. In 1916 there were increases over the previous year of 92 in the offences against property with violence, mid of 1162 in those not included under a special heading. The other offences decreased in largo numbers, Ihpso against the person falling off hy 395, against property by 128, against the currency by 16, and against good order by 2254, leaving a total decrease of Effect of Early Closing. That decrease in 1916 was largely brought about by' tho 6 o'clock closing of hotels, which caused a falling off in the cases of drunkenness and kindred oltcuces. The 12 months, howovcr, was marked by a phenomenal amount of serious crime, The operations of the I.W.W. called for special efforts on the part of the policy, who secured tho conviction of tho iucoudiarios, Mid cleared up tires by which £500,000 worth of damage was done in the city. Apart from that other serious crimes, such as murder,• manslaughter, infanticide, criminal assaults, assault and robbery, wounding, uttering spurious coin, and burglaries, showed appreciable decreases.

The bulk of the crimo was naturally in and around Sydney, and the figure's dealing with the metropolitan area reflected the general falling oil. In 1915, of 6453 offencas committed 3352, or 52 per cent., were cleared up. In those! eases the property. stolen was valued at £35,471 17s. <JJd-, while that accounted for by tho police was £22,563 Us., or 64 per cent. Last year the results were even better. Of 6178 offences committed 3588, or 58 per cent., were cleared up. The property involved was worth £49,352 15s. Bd., and of that £35,170 4s. lid., qr 71 per cent., was accounted for. The quarterly figures of those two years show that while tho average number of offences every three' months in 1915 was about 850, it jumped to 1144 in tho opening quarter of 1916, and went down to 694 in the concluding three months.

Big Frauds. With regard to the present year, tho only figures available are for the nine months ending September 30, and they refer only to the metropolitan area. But as tho city always provides tho bulk of tho crime they can safely ho taken as a guide to tho whole' of the State. Aud onco again a decrease is I shown. I In the first quarter there wero 1240 offences of a serious nature, representing the theft'of £83,128 14s. sd. The police cleared up 797, or 64 per cent., of those cases, and accounted for £78,682 4s. Id. of tho property. Tlie Juna quarter saw 1272 offences committed, and of those 801, or 03 per cent., were cleared up. Tho property stolen again,reachedahigh mark, amounting in value to £2-1,663 10s. 2d. Of that £21,140.1i5. 4d.'worth was accounted for. ■

Those two quarters, however, wero attectod by. the' serious frauds on the military authorities, and the. Government Savings Bank, the i amounts involved in the two cases being £78,000. In the September; quarter. 1353 offonces, in which £18,400 ss. '2d. worth of property was stolon, were dealt with, and 914, or 68 per cent., oleared up. The property accounted for was worth £16,358 19s. 2d. Tho totals for tho nino months show that of 3865 serious offences committed 2512, or 65 per cent., were dealt with effectively. The property involved was worth £126,192 9s. 9d., and of that £116,181 14s. 7d. was accounted for. Blocking Criminals. Mr. Mitchell, tho head of the police, declared that the sobering effects of the war, which had brought sadness to so many families, had in a large measure brought about tho decrease. A large number of offences in tho metropolitan area were housebreakings, which were carried out whilo families wore away from their homos; but sinco the war there had not been the samo amount of visiting and pleasure-seek-ing, and consequently premises were rarely left without somo member of tho family being at home. Consequently tho opportunities for thieving wore icduced, and that meant a falling-off iii crime.

•In roply to a question Mr. MitchcM snid ho did not think tlic absence of criminals at the front had anything to do with tho decrease. Ho explained that there had been systematic efforts on _ tho part of the military and tho polieo to prevent criminals getting into the ranks, and very few had got away. Whenever a caso of a man with a criminal record cropped np tho answering of the question as to whether one would like that individual to assoeiaco with one's sons or brothers led to a quick solution of the problem. Ho was not admitted. No doubt men with criminal records had joined up with the best of intentions and gone to the front, but the policy of tho police and the military had bcon and still was to keep them out. Anyway, the absence of criminals at the front had not been responsible for the decrease in crime.