NSW: NSW household crime stabilising: ABS

AAP General News (Australia)
12-01-1999
NSW: NSW household crime stabilising: ABS

SYDNEY, Dec 1 AAP - Break and enter remained the crime people in New South Wales were
most likely to fall victim to, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures
released today.

However, the Crime and Safety Survey NSW 1999 also found household crime was stabilising.

NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research director Don Weatherburn said recent figures
confirmed police evidence that major household crimes were on the decline.

"The latest crime survey figures ... provide the first of four checks that we're conducting
to test the validity of police crime statistics," Dr Weatherburn told reporters.

"Broadly speaking, the ABS figures confirm the pattern seen in police figures."

He said the figures tied in with those provided by police except in the case of robbery,
which the police found to be stable.

"We suspect it's because, as you know, the police generally don't see a big difference
between robbery and break and enter even though there is in fact in law a huge difference,"

he said.

AAP jw/tsm/cjh

KEYWORD: CRIME NSW

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