Spikes in anti-social behaviour and burglary in Mandurah have people crying out for a stronger police presence, but experts say there is little evidence that more cops, equals less crime.
It was the early hours of Sunday morning and 20-year-old Tamryn Parkes had just agreed to drive home two teenage boys from a house party.
When asked to pull over near the Lakelands shopping centre a brutal assault followed. It started with a shocking punch to the throat causing her head to smash into the window. As one of the offenders choked her the other stole her keys and ran down the road. Filled with adrenaline Tamryn chased them down where the attack continued. Kicked in the ribs over and over. Scratched. “At one point I stood back up and tried to grab his bag off him so he would stop attacking me but he bent my finger backwards and broke it,” Tamryn says. She was screaming for help during the whole ordeal but no one came. Finally Tamryn was left lying helpless in the street as the perpetrators sped off in her car.
Tamryn’s story is just one of many in Mandurah with statistics putting the numbers of crimes at 3471 in 2018-19. Although there has been more police presence in Mandurah since Tamryn was violently carjacked last year these figures are still considerably high.
With crime and anti-social behaviour escalating since 2016 “we have now had a commitment by the Minister for Police and the Deputy Commissioner to put new resources into Mandurah to ensure there is a police presence during peak periods to address the crime and anti-social behaviour activities,” says Mandurah Mayor, Rhys Williams. “This is a really big opportunity and a great response to the local community’s cry out for more police”.
Although there has been an “increase in police presence in the city centre area, both day and night” this has had minimal effect on reducing crime. Over the last two years, Mandurah has seen robbery rates rise 31 per cent, dwelling burglary rise 13 per cent, stealing of a motor vehicle rise 11 per cent and assault rise 4 per cent. A failure to implement other crime prevention methods has seen Mandurah fall into a crime wave.
The Australian Institute of Criminology outlines that “although much police work is grounded in the assumption that the threat of detection and ultimate arrest will deter prospective wrongdoers, many criminals act on impulse, without attempting a rational calculation of the risk of apprehension and the value of ill-gotten gains”.
“A good crime prevention program must be built on the use of multiple interventions to address linked problems,” says Griffith University Professor Peter Homel. “For example, the use of a mixture of public education, policing and physical design measures to control alcohol consumption in order to prevent public violence.”
With the failure of extra policing the local Mandurah government are now working towards a “collaborative multi-agency” strategy to minimise crime. Last week the mayor met with the Minister for Police, Minister for Local Government, Mental Health Commissioner and other senior government representatives to take immediate action on a number of key initiatives that will address the escalating crime and anti-social behaviour in Mandurah:
1. WA Police Force Mental Health Co-Response in Mandurah as a priority (additional resourcing).
2. A commitment to a trial of intensive outreach services to those who are the hardest to assist.
3. Proactive patrolling by Police in the city centre during the day and night for an extended period.
4. Improved connection between Police and City Security and a commitment to seek Prohibitive Behaviour Order or Misconduct Restraining Order for individuals who are committing crimes or displaying serious anti-social behaviour regularly.
5. Increased access to drug treatment services.
“We have to recognise that crime is not isolated in itself that a lot of the activity in the city centre that we want to do away with is affected by mental health, substance abuse and addictions,” says Mandurah Mayor, Rhys Williams. “This meeting was a good step forward in tackling these issues.”
Comments