Tasmania Police is solving more crime than ever with the highest clearance rate in more than 45 years.
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The latest Crime Statistics Supplement, released on Tuesday, revealed a drop in crime and an increase in clearance rates.
Total offences reduced by 5 per cent to 26,174 offences in 2017-18, with more than 50 per cent cleared.
Stolen motor vehicle offences fell by 21 per cent, and were significantly below the previous three-year average.
Sexual assaults reduced from 249 offences in the previous year to 184.
Assistant Commissioner Glenn Frame said Tasmania boasted “one of the lowest crime rates in the country”.
“Crime rates do fluctuate due to criminal group trends and the activities of a small number of high volume offenders, but what’s important to remember is that the overall crime rate over the past 18 years has decreased significantly,” he said.
While the majority of the statistics were positive, Assistant Commissioner Frame said assaults were still a problem in the state.
He said both domestic violence and neighborhood disputes had slightly increased, as well as assaults within organised criminal groups.
“We’re not seeing assaults around nightclubs and around the entertainment precincts that we were a few years ago.
“We’re seeing assaults in and around the home.”
As part of its statewide Crime Response Plan, Tasmania Police will implement strategies to target repeat offenders who are responsible for multiple offences, Assistant Commissioner Frame said.
High-visibility and covert patrols to lock down and saturate suburbs where burglaries and motor vehicle theft has increased is also part of the plan, he said.
“We are putting our effort into targeting recidivist offenders and holding those that commit crime and impact on the community to account,” Assistant Commissioner Frame said.
“Nationally we are doing really well … one in two offences is a fantastic effort.
“We have got a lot of work to do to make sure that serious and organised criminals don’t come into Tasmania, the impact of drugs is significant and we’ve got to make sure that we are working hard to reduce the impact, so the 99 per cent of law-abiding citizens can go about their business and feel and be safe in the community.”
Police Minister Michael Ferguson said the state government was continuing its “tough on crime approach”, employing more police and investing in new police technology.
“These are important improvements in public safety in Tasmania and the government thanks Tasmania Police for the incredible work they do keeping Tasmanians safe,” he said.
The recent state budget included funding for drone technology and the completion of a statewide body-worn camera rollout.
The state government is also aiming to have the lowest serious crime rate across all victimisation measures by 2022.
“We have a plan to make Tasmania the safest state in the nation,” Mr Ferguson said.