The Commissioner of South Australia Police has rejected recent media reports claiming there has been an increase in youth crime in the past couple of months, saying instead “this is not the case.”
The Commissioner, Grant Stevens (pictured) said that while media outlets may have a perception there has been an increase in youth crime in the past couple of months, the SAPOL Annual Report has shown a slight decrease in reported crime over the past 10 years.
“The figures I have readily available to me regarding youth crime offenders show the number of juveniles 10-17 years who have been arrested or reported has remained steady over the past five years,” Commissioner Stevens said.
He said that while there was a slight increase in 2019, it was followed by a decrease in the normal fluctuations of crime statistics.
“Intelligence analysis of juvenile crime suggests that more than half of the offences committed by juveniles were committed by around 10 per cent of young offenders,” Commissioner Stevens said.
“It is important for us to not just focus on the number of offences but the seriousness of the offence, and the core group of offenders who are responsible for a disproportionate number of these offences,” he said.
“There is no agenda by South Australia Police to highlight youth criminal offender activities and there has been no change in SAPOL policy or practice regarding what crimes or apprehensions are released.”
The Commissioner said the police always conduct a daily briefing for the media related to overnight crime and they invariably report on the ages of people involved in those incidents.
“That has not changed,” he said.
“I believe there is a much stronger focus on youth crime at the moment because of the current debate within the community about how young offenders should be dealt with,” Commissioner Stevens said.
Number of persons aged 10-17 years apprehended by age group, 1 January – 30 September, 2017-2022
