The Rann Government’s ‘spin’ on crime figures has reached dizzying new heights with conflicting claims that increased police numbers had both increased and decreased some crime rates at the same time, Shadow Police Minister Rob Lucas said today.
On 25 May 2006 Police Minister Holloway issued a press release headed ‘Crime rates continue to fall in SA’ in which he claimed crime rates had fallen because of increased police numbers:
Police Minister Paul Holloway says these reductions are no accident.
“Rather, they are the product of a well resourced police force. We now have 3,993 police on the beat and more are coming,” says Mr Holloway.
However, this month the Minister was asked to explain why official statistics from the Office of Crime Statistics and Research had shown that sexual offences had increased by 8.8% between 2001 and 2005.
Mr Holloway’s response, as reported in The Advertiser of 28 August 2006, was:
A spokesman for Police Minister Paul Holloway said some categories had increased due to higher levels of detection, attributed to record police numbers.
“So in this case the Rann Government argues increased police numbers have caused sexual offence crime rates to have risen,” Mr Lucas said.
“Mr Rann and Mr Holloway obviously have the best of both worlds – if crime rates go up it’s because of increased police numbers and if crime rates go down it is also due to increased police numbers!
“Mr Rann and Mr Holloway should get their act together and at least decide on what particular ‘spin’ they are going to use regarding police numbers and crime rates.”