THE PUBLIC THE VICTIMS REPORTING CRIME Except for traffic offences, police usually don’t see crimes being committed. So, the police rely on THE PUBLIC AND THE VICTIMS to report crimes

NOT ALL CRIMES ARE REPORTED TO POLICE THRESHOLD CONCEPT HSC LEGAL STUDIES 2013 WE ONLY HAVE EXACT STATISTICS ABOUT THE LEVEL OF REPORTED CRIME NOT ALL CRIMES ARE REPORTED TO POLICE

EXAMINE the reporting and investigating of crime REPORTING CRIME EXAMINE look into delve into inspect ASK QUESTIONS (and write some possible answers) “inquire into” EXAMINE the reporting and investigating of crime REPORTING CRIME Inquiry question 1 Why would someone not report a crime? Inquiry question 2 How many crimes go unreported? Inquiry question 3 How can we increase the level of crime reporting?

Inquiry question 1 Why would someone not report a crime? REPORTING CRIME Inquiry question 1 Why would someone not report a crime? It depends on the category (type) of crime… ‘Less crime but fewer reporting it, says expert’, SMH, 2008 Of victims of assault… 18% didn’t report because the incident was “too trivial” (not serious enough) 10% didn’t report because “there was nothing the police could do” Of victims of domestic violence… There may be cultural barriers (e.g. language, fear of being isolated from their community, expectations of women in their culture, etc) Problems with the system of policing… There has been a move away from “local cops” – police are now moved into special squads (like narcotics) rather than having a community where they are known to the people (old-fashioned community policing)

Inquiry question 1 Why would someone not report a crime? REPORTING CRIME Inquiry question 1 Why would someone not report a crime? NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics (BOCSAR) Of victims of sexual assault… Fear of further attacks Fear that the attacker may be punished (especially if it is a family member, or close family friend, which it usually is) Uncertainty about whether what happened to them will actually classify as “rape” (this comes from a misunderstanding of the law – “rape” is not the crime, the crime is “sexual assault”, which is unwanted sexual contact) Young women may believe it is “normal” (if they are inexperienced, they may think that “this just happens”)

Inquiry question 2 How many crimes go unreported? REPORTING CRIME Inquiry question 2 How many crimes go unreported? ABS – Crime Victimisation Survey Around 65% of assaults go unreported Around 70% of sexual assaults go unreported (probably more, ≈ 85%) NSW Women’s Refuge Movement Resource Centre research Around 80% of domestic violence incidents go unreported

Inquiry question 3 How can we increase the level of crime reporting? REPORTING CRIME Inquiry question 3 How can we increase the level of crime reporting? Programs like CRIME STOPPERS make it easier (just ring them), more convenient (24 hour hotline; website also) and anonymous (reducing the fear of being attacked for reporting a crime). DOES IT WORK? Yep – Crime Stoppers Annual Report 2009 50,000 calls  300 arrests Communities can also try to improve education about reporting crime (e.g. talks in schools about what a sexual assault is, and letting them know that they won’t be forced to sit in court with their attacker). Increasing the number of successful cases against criminals works in reducing the victim’s fear that their attacker “will just get off anyway, then come and attack me again”. Less than 50% of the people convicted of sexual assault are sentenced to imprisonment, which gives victims a good reason to not report their incident. Using Neighbourhood Watch programs to encourage locals to report crimes (leads to a decrease of 15-25% in crime!).

Questions 1. Who do police rely on when it comes to reporting crime? Which theme and challenge does this relate to? 2. Why is it so hard to get data about crime? (slide 2) 3. Why would someone not report a crime? (Include data, and the sources from which this data comes from – see slide 4 and 5) 4.How many crimes go unreported? Provide data and the sources from which this data comes from. (slide 6) 5. What is one method that can be used to increase crime reporting? And how effective has this method been? (slide 7)