❓ The Minister outlines strategies to reduce burglaries in WA, including the RAC LifeSafe campaign, targeting recidivist offenders, utilising forensic technology, and increasing police attendance at burglary scenes.
AnsweredQoN 1146Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Will the minister inform the House of the new strategies that are aimed at reducing burglaries in Western Australia? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Innaloo for his question and for his continued interest in policing and reducing crime. Our Government is focusing significant resources to fight crime, particularly in the area of burglary. Yesterday, I launched the Royal Automobile Club’s new crime prevention safety initiative called RAC LifeSafe. The RAC LifeSafe campaign compliments the extremely successful Crimestoppers and Neighbourhood Watch partnerships and it builds on existing partnerships with local government initiatives. The RAC LifeSafe campaign adds to these programs by identifying measures that individuals can take to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime. It highlights the risk factors and demonstrates practical ways that we can all use to take precautions to reduce crime and to protect our property and ourselves. As an example, a recent review of burglaries in one police district revealed that up to 50 per cent of burglaries were committed in homes in which people had left doors and windows open or unlocked. Similarly, cars are often stolen when keys are left in the ignition. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: I commend the RAC for taking this initiative - Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: I thank the member for Innaloo for his question and for his continued interest in policing and reducing crime. Our Government is focusing significant resources to fight crime, particularly in the area of burglary. Yesterday, I launched the Royal Automobile Club’s new crime prevention safety initiative called RAC LifeSafe. The RAC LifeSafe campaign compliments the extremely successful Crimestoppers and Neighbourhood Watch partnerships and it builds on existing partnerships with local government initiatives. The RAC LifeSafe campaign adds to these programs by identifying measures that individuals can take to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime. It highlights the risk factors and demonstrates practical ways that we can all use to take precautions to reduce crime and to protect our property and ourselves. As an example, a recent review of burglaries in one police district revealed that up to 50 per cent of burglaries were committed in homes in which people had left doors and windows open or unlocked. Similarly, cars are often stolen when keys are left in the ignition. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: I commend the RAC for taking this initiative - Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
I thank the member for Innaloo for his question and for his continued interest in policing and reducing crime. Our Government is focusing significant resources to fight crime, particularly in the area of burglary. Yesterday, I launched the Royal Automobile Club’s new crime prevention safety initiative called RAC LifeSafe. The RAC LifeSafe campaign compliments the extremely successful Crimestoppers and Neighbourhood Watch partnerships and it builds on existing partnerships with local government initiatives. The RAC LifeSafe campaign adds to these programs by identifying measures that individuals can take to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime. It highlights the risk factors and demonstrates practical ways that we can all use to take precautions to reduce crime and to protect our property and ourselves. As an example, a recent review of burglaries in one police district revealed that up to 50 per cent of burglaries were committed in homes in which people had left doors and windows open or unlocked. Similarly, cars are often stolen when keys are left in the ignition. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: I commend the RAC for taking this initiative - Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Our Government is focusing significant resources to fight crime, particularly in the area of burglary. Yesterday, I launched the Royal Automobile Club’s new crime prevention safety initiative called RAC LifeSafe. The RAC LifeSafe campaign compliments the extremely successful Crimestoppers and Neighbourhood Watch partnerships and it builds on existing partnerships with local government initiatives. The RAC LifeSafe campaign adds to these programs by identifying measures that individuals can take to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime. It highlights the risk factors and demonstrates practical ways that we can all use to take precautions to reduce crime and to protect our property and ourselves. As an example, a recent review of burglaries in one police district revealed that up to 50 per cent of burglaries were committed in homes in which people had left doors and windows open or unlocked. Similarly, cars are often stolen when keys are left in the ignition. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: I commend the RAC for taking this initiative - Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: I commend the RAC for taking this initiative - Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: I commend the RAC for taking this initiative - Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: I commend the RAC for taking this initiative - Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: I thank the member for Innaloo for his question and for his continued interest in policing and reducing crime. Our Government is focusing significant resources to fight crime, particularly in the area of burglary. Yesterday, I launched the Royal Automobile Club’s new crime prevention safety initiative called RAC LifeSafe. The RAC LifeSafe campaign compliments the extremely successful Crimestoppers and Neighbourhood Watch partnerships and it builds on existing partnerships with local government initiatives. The RAC LifeSafe campaign adds to these programs by identifying measures that individuals can take to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime. It highlights the risk factors and demonstrates practical ways that we can all use to take precautions to reduce crime and to protect our property and ourselves. As an example, a recent review of burglaries in one police district revealed that up to 50 per cent of burglaries were committed in homes in which people had left doors and windows open or unlocked. Similarly, cars are often stolen when keys are left in the ignition. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: I commend the RAC for taking this initiative - Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
I thank the member for Innaloo for his question and for his continued interest in policing and reducing crime. Our Government is focusing significant resources to fight crime, particularly in the area of burglary. Yesterday, I launched the Royal Automobile Club’s new crime prevention safety initiative called RAC LifeSafe. The RAC LifeSafe campaign compliments the extremely successful Crimestoppers and Neighbourhood Watch partnerships and it builds on existing partnerships with local government initiatives. The RAC LifeSafe campaign adds to these programs by identifying measures that individuals can take to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime. It highlights the risk factors and demonstrates practical ways that we can all use to take precautions to reduce crime and to protect our property and ourselves. As an example, a recent review of burglaries in one police district revealed that up to 50 per cent of burglaries were committed in homes in which people had left doors and windows open or unlocked. Similarly, cars are often stolen when keys are left in the ignition. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: I commend the RAC for taking this initiative - Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Our Government is focusing significant resources to fight crime, particularly in the area of burglary. Yesterday, I launched the Royal Automobile Club’s new crime prevention safety initiative called RAC LifeSafe. The RAC LifeSafe campaign compliments the extremely successful Crimestoppers and Neighbourhood Watch partnerships and it builds on existing partnerships with local government initiatives. The RAC LifeSafe campaign adds to these programs by identifying measures that individuals can take to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime. It highlights the risk factors and demonstrates practical ways that we can all use to take precautions to reduce crime and to protect our property and ourselves. As an example, a recent review of burglaries in one police district revealed that up to 50 per cent of burglaries were committed in homes in which people had left doors and windows open or unlocked. Similarly, cars are often stolen when keys are left in the ignition. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: I commend the RAC for taking this initiative - Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: I commend the RAC for taking this initiative - Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: I commend the RAC for taking this initiative - Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: I commend the RAC for taking this initiative - Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Mr D.F. Barron-Sullivan interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: Although these measures seem to be commonsense to most of us, clearly a lot of people are still not getting the message. It is important that we get that message across. I also highlight the fact that, as members will be aware, a couple of months ago the Commissioner of Police appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton with special responsibility to specifically combat the burglary issue. Last week he unveiled a major burglary reduction strategy that aims to reduce Western Australian burglary rates. The Police Service will strive to reduce burglary by a range of means, but in particular it will target the small number of recidivist burglars who commit the majority of offences. In other words, police will target the offenders, not just the offence. In order to assist them in this regard, the Police Service will maximise the use of the latest forensic technology for DNA and fingerprinting. The Government has funded over $20 million to DNA technology and further moneys will connect that with the national fingerprint database. The kind of campaign run by the RAC complements the work that the police are doing. One of the issues that concerned me when I was in Opposition was that so few home burglaries were attended by police officers. I have asked the Police Service to turn that situation around and Assistant Commissioner of Police Tim Atherton has indicated that he intends to have police at the scene of all burglaries. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS: We have equipped the Police Service with the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology, but that is of no use unless forensic evidence is taken from a crime scene. We need officers to attend home burglaries, assess whether forensic evidence can be collected and, if so, collect that evidence. We must improve our clearance rates for burglaries to help drive the number of burglaries down.
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