Crime claims are not based on statistics

Claims that crime on the Peninsula is rising or is worse than elsewhere are not based on crime statistics, it has been revealed.

Figures were also not available to support claims that crime rates are low on the Peninsula.

Opposition Leader Mr Peter Debnam claimed that " the community is experiencing a crime wave" after meeting crime victims in Umina on Monday, January 8.

However later in the week, after being questioned by Peninsula News, Liberal candidate for Gosford Cr Chris Holstein admitted that he did not have current local statistics.

He said that his information came from the Bureau of Statistics and that the police had been told they were not allowed to talk to him

Member for Peats Ms Marie Andrews issued a press release refuting statements made by Mr Debnam, and saying that the government was "committed to making the streets of the Central Coast safe" and was "providing record police numbers".

However, while providing figures to substantiate an increase in police numbers, she did not supply figures to repudiate claims of increasing crime in Peninsula town centres, despite a request from Peninsula News to do so.

Peninsula Chamber of Commerce also issued a press release during the week claiming "years of poor crime statistics in the Peninsula town centres".

"The crime stats for the Umina Beach and Woy Woy town centre have not appreciably improved in recent years despite greater police presence," the chamber's vice-president Mr Tom Tregent said.

However, by the end of the week, chamber president Mr Matthew Wales admitted the chamber did not have statistics for Umina or Woy Woy.

"We have the same problem you do," he said.

"The NSW Police Service will not release the suburb specific data to us either.

"Regrettably we are relying on anecdotal information from conversations with the local police.

"Because they won't give us the stats (past or present), we can only form our view based on comments from the police and the visual evidence of the regular incidences.

"As has been explained to us before, the Government is always worried that the stats will be used for political purposes rather than for the allocation of police resources.

"I can understand this but unfortunately it doesn't help the community understand whether circumstances are improving or otherwise."

Last year Peninsula News asked the NSW Police for local crime statistics.

Police said they were unable to supply statistics and directed Peninsula News to the Australian Bureau of Statistics website, which is both out of date and not suburb specific.

Mark Snell, Lyle Stone, 12 Jan 2007