Crimes down 16pc in town

Crime rates have been slashed over the past year in Karratha, with burglaries and stealing among the main offences dropping off. There has been a 16.2 per cent overall reduction in volume crime in Karratha from January to date, compared with the same period last year. Statistics obtained by Pilbara News show burglaries were down 36 per cent compared with last year, while over the past five years the number of burglaries decreased 56 per cent. Stealing offences this year are down 29 per cent and 49 per cent over the past five years. Property damage rates have dropped off 20 per cent, while the five-year average decreased 34.5 per cent. But not every crime has seen a reduction, with assault rates increasing 20 per cent. However, Karratha Police officer-in-charge Acting Senior Sergeant Todd Carrington said there were only five assaults in question. “Our pinch points are still licensed premises so we have an issue with people drinking alcohol so we always tend to get those problems on our weekends,” he said. “As a result of the increase in alcohol consumption we do often get assaults.” Sen. Sgt Carrington also reported police were solving more than 75 per cent of assaults and 52 per cent of burglaries which he said was “extraordinarily good”. He said the crime reduction was a result of many reasons, including police targeting problem areas, dealing with offenders and engaging with youth. “The amount of diligence that the police in Karratha have been paying to any problem areas, we are quick to shut it down,” he said. “We’ve been keeping our patrols up. We’ve been dealing with our offenders that give us issues.” Sen. Sgt Carrington said police would continue to maintain their presence. “Certainly compared to this time last year, we can be happy with where we are heading but again we are not content to rest on our laurels,” he said. “We are certainly not going to stop policing because we’ve got a couple of months of good figures. “We are going to keep the pressure up.”