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By Don Weatherburn and Sara Rahman
Melbourne University Press, 2021
According to a new book by Don Weatherburn and Sara Rahman, while crime rates in Australia rose markedly during the last three decades of the 20
th century, in the following two decades, the rates of most of these crimes actually declined.
During the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, Australia “faced rapidly rising rates of break and enter, motor vehicle theft, robbery, stealing, assault and fraud,” write Weatherburn and Rahman in
The Vanishing Criminal.
However, “between 2001 and 2017, the recorded rate of break and enter fell by 68%, motor vehicle theft fell by 70%, robbery fell by 71%, and other theft fell by 43%.”
Crooks and stats: Time for a reality check on crime in Victoria
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Many media commentators are the journalistic equivalent of tent boxers. They have learnt their craft well and understand their audience’s demands: A violent conflict and a simple resolution.
Tent boxers, like media commentators, know how to throw a punch then cover up. Canberra Show, 2013.
Credit:Rohan Thompson
The tent boxer long ago discovered what works. A simple combination of punches - no fancy stuff –left, left, then right. Bang, bang, bang, then cover up and don’t get hurt.
It is a lesson Prof Don Weatherburn, one of Australia’s leading experts in crime statistics, is hoping Australian governments will learn.
“The secret to crime control is regulation not punishment,” Weatherburn says. “It’s much easier to control crime by blocking the opportunities for it than it is by scaring the wits out of people who try to offend, or trying to scare the wits out of them.”
Crime rates in Australia have dropped steadily since the 1990s. In 2000, Australia had the highest rate of burglary, assault, sexual assault and robbery in a survey of 25 countries. By 2018, the crime rate had fallen by 60%, with some exceptions. Reports of sexual assault, child sexual assault, child exploitation, internet fraud and identity theft have increased.