NCJ Number
191825
Date Published
April 2001
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This survey collected information about the extent of selected crimes in the community, whether or not these crimes were reported to the police, and characteristics of victims in South Australia.
Abstract
The Crime and Safety Survey was conducted during the month of October 2000. A randomly selected sample of households and individuals were asked whether they had been victims of crime of specific types in the preceding 12 months. Figures were then extrapolated to the South Australian population as a whole. The findings in this bulletin included information on the prevalence of victimization, personal victimization, revictimization and reporting rates. In the prevalence of victimization category, the findings showed that at least one break-in was experienced by 5.1 percent of the population; at least one attempted break-in was experienced by 3.8 percent of the population; and at least one vehicle theft was experienced by 2.1 percent of the population. There was a decrease in the percentage of households victimized for break-in between 1991 and 1998 (from 6.9 percent to 4.0 percent). In the personal victimization category, in the 12 months to October 2000 an estimated 5.0 percent of individuals in South Australia were the victim of at least one personal crime (defined as either a robbery or assault). This included 0.7 percent of individuals who experienced at least one robbery, and 4.6 percent of individuals who experienced at least one assault. Victimization rates for robbery and assault recorded in the 2000 survey were slightly higher than in 1998. The fact that sexual assault was excluded from the 2000 survey may have contributed to the relatively higher figure recorded. Survey respondents were also asked whether they had reported the latest victimization to the police. Overall, 78.8 percent reported the most recent break-in to police, 33.8 percent reported the most recent attempted break-in to the police, and 90.8 percent reported the most recent motor vehicle theft to the police. This information Bulletin considered the findings from the 2000 Crime and Safety survey in comparison with previous surveys. While the results of these surveys were not directly comparable with recorded crime figures, the increased victimization rates found in the 2000 survey were consistent with increases in recorded crime since 1998. Tables, figures