Crime policies not working, says Wales

Liberal Candidate for Peats, Cr Debra Wales, has labelled the latest crime statistics as shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic.

"The latest crime statistics clearly show that the State Labor Government has made absolutely no impact on crime rates over the last eight years with sharp rises across most categories including break and enter, assault, sexual offences and car theft," said Cr Wales.

"For the Carr Labor Government to claim that recent decreases in break and enter and car theft is vindication of their policies is nothing more than shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic.

"The overall incident rate since the Carr Government came to power eight years ago has actually increased.

"Any decreases over the last 12 months in home break and enters and vehicle theft have come at the expense of sharp increases in assaults, sexual offences and drug offences.

"All that has happened is that the resources have been shifted from one category to another.

"It's like shifting the ballast in a sinking ship," she said.

Cr Wales said that the figures were a clear indication that local police needed more resources so that all areas of crime could be reduced rather than other areas being neglected.

"There are disturbing upward trends in serious categories such as assault, sexual assault and drug offences.

"At a time when residents in the electorate of Peats live in fear of leaving their own homes, when drugs are freely available on the streets and our children constantly run the gauntlet of drug dealers, these figures are totally unacceptable," said Cr Wales.

"These latest disturbing crime figures reinforce my commitment to boosting locally-led and locally-based police in our community.

"We must stem the crime trends which have continued their upward spiral since the Carr Labor Government took power eight years ago."

Press release, March 5