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The National Crime and Safety Survey was conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 1993, 1998, 2002 and 2005, as a mailback supplement to the April Labour Force Survey. According to the surveys, rates of household victimisation declined overall for break-in, attempted break-in, motor vehicle theft, and total household crime between 1993 and 2005.

Contents

• Acknowledgements
• Acronyms and abbreviations
• Abstract
• Executive summary
• Introduction
• Methodology
• Acquisition of fraudulent identities
• Use of fraudulent identities
• Remediation of identity crime
• Prevention of identity crime
• Conclusions
• References
• Appendix A: Measurement framework indicators
• Appendix B: Definition of key terms
• Appendix C: Government data
• Appendix D: Police data

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance systems are an increasingly common crime prevention initiative in Australia. A recent study reported that CCTV systems were in operation in 33 major urban centres in every state and territory, except the NT.

CCTV will often be used around public space in urban centres and on public housing estates; in retail malls, individual shops and banks (particularly around Automatic Teller Machines); on public transport (including stations, trains, buses and taxis); and in car parks.

Developments in computing and communications technologies have created many new opportunities for people to act illegally. A paper released by the Australian Institute of Criminology, "e-Crime Solutions and Crime Displacement", seeks to apply theories of crime displacement in the context of electronic crime by considering the possible counterproductive effects that electronic crime reduction techniques might have.

Foreword

Car theft is a major problem in Australia as the following statistics show. In 1987-1988, 120,305 vehicles were stolen Australia wide, and in 1988-89 this increased to 122,542. A large number of these vehicles were never recovered which would indicate that car theft has become a serious organised criminal activity.

Like any other economic market, the stolen goods market is largely driven by supply and demand. As such, property crime can be understood as a function of the ease of theft and the availability of a pool of willing buyers. The Market reduction approach (MRA) to reducing property crime focuses on shrinking the stolen goods market, by preventing supply and reducing the demand for stolen goods. Without an active market, disposal becomes difficult, risky and unrewarding. All of these factors have significant implications for an offender's willingness to engage in property crime.

Local government is increasingly seen to be a key player in the development and implementation of community level crime prevention programs. Across Australia, virtually all government crime prevention agencies include local government in the development and delivery of their respective crime prevention strategies.

Foreword | In this paper, an overview is presented of recent data on the carriage and use of knives. Analysis of the data indicated an increase in the use of knives as a proportion of all homicides, although the number of homicides remained relatively constant. The proportionate use of knives in robberies, by contrast, remained fairly constant, while the number of robberies decreased dramatically.

Foreword | This paper outlines the findings of a study that evaluated the processes of a Northern Territory Business Watch crime prevention program through a survey in 2002 of the members of a business association which managed the scheme. The results point to a severe lack of awareness about the program by association members, which in turn resulted in low levels of participation. In addition, members found it difficult to contribute sufficient time and resources to the scheme, and were largely unable to provide an assessment of the effectiveness of the program.

Foreword | The Australian Institute of Criminology previously estimated the cost of fraud in Australia in 2005 to be approximately $8.5b (Rollings 2008). Fraud risks affect all sectors of society extending from those who provide government services, to those who receive benefits, as well as private sector businesses such as primary producers, and those who buy and sell goods and services online. In this paper, the specific risks of financial crime that arise in and subsequently affect those in remote and regional communities in Australia are explored.

Foreword | Theories on the causal relationship between drug use and crime in Australian literature have often overlooked the influence of gender as a confounding variable. However, research indicates that pathways into drug use and crime differ for males and females. Using data from the Australian Institute of Criminology's Drug Use Monitoring in Australia program, this study explores the relationship between drug use, offending, mental health and experiences of child abuse among a sample of police detainees.

Contents

• Acknowledgements
• Acronyms and abbreviations
• Abstract
• Executive summary
• Introduction
• Method
• Suspicious transactions by members of known organised crime groups
• Relationship between characteristics of organised crime groups and suspicious transactions
• Relationship between suspicious transactions and crime-related harm
• Discussion
• References