The effect of police searches and move-on directions on property and violent crime in New South Wales

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486582110036
Author(s):  
Joanna JJ Wang ◽  
Don Weatherburn
Keyword(s):  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Motor Vehicle Theft ◽  
Search Activity ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Person Search ◽  
Police Activity

The New South Wales (NSW) Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002 gave the NSW Police the power in certain circumstances the power to stop, search and detain a person without warrant. The same legislation gave the police the power to direct a person to move on from a place if they believe on reasonable grounds that the person in question is obstructing traffic or another person; engaging in behaviour that is considered harassment or intimidation to another person (or people); behaving in a way that is causing or likely to cause fear to a reasonable person or present in the place in order to unlawfully supply or cause another person to unlawfully supply drugs. The exercise of these powers has attracted considerable controversy, but little is known about their effectiveness in controlling crime. We investigate the relationship between police activity and crime using panel data of 17 Local Area Command for the period 2001 to 2013. We find a significant and strongly negative long-run relationship between both indices of police activity and each of break and enter, motor vehicle theft and robbery. No significant long-run relationship is found between assault and move-on directions. The person search activity is negatively related to assault, but the effect is weak; with a 10% increase in person search only resulting in a 0.5% fall in assaults. The implications for the exercise of police move-on and search powers are discussed.

Changes to the status of birds in the Tapitallee region on the south coast of New South Wales from 1928 to 2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garry Daly
Keyword(s):  
Red Fox ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Local Area ◽  
South Coast ◽  
Native Vegetation ◽  
The South ◽  
South Wales ◽  
The Status ◽  
Local Residents

ABSTRACT Aubrey Elliott (1910–1943), a passionate ‘bird-man’, lived in the suburb of Tapitallee on the south coast of New South Wales until 1940. During that period he and his brother, Arthur kept notes on the birds in the local area and devised a hide that was mounted on a utility that enabled them to take close-up photographs. To augment his observations Elliott interviewed local residents and collated information on the status of the area’s birds. In 1985 I purchased the property next to where Elliott lived and was given access to his notes. This paper presents a comparison of avifauna in the Tapitallee area between 1926–40 and 1985–2020. During that time there have been changes in the distribution and abundance of many birds. Fourteen species have become locally extinct while 28 have colonised/recolonised the area. Combining Aubrey’s and our data a total of 194 species of bird have been recorded in the area. Dams have been constructed and native vegetation has regrown on the steeper slopes. These actions have expanded the habitat for aquatic and forest dependant species but disadvantaged those that occupy grasslands. The Red Fox Vulpes vulpes colonised the area in 1907 and is implicated in the local extinction of the Bush Stone Curlew Burhinus grallarius. Wildfire in January 2020 burnt a relatively small portion of the Tapitallee area but these fires burnt an extensive area of southern NSW and Victoria. These fires were likely to be responsible for the decline in the numbers of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters Caligavis chrysops and White-naped Honeyeater Melithreptus lunatus migrating north in the autumn of that year.

Escapes from new south wales gaols: placing the risk in perspective

1991 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 204-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Gorta ◽  
Tony Sillavant
Keyword(s):  
Technical College ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Rare Occurrence ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Trends Over Time ◽  
Detailed Record ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Property Offences

This article seeks to place the risk posed by escapees in perspective by presenting information on escapees from NSW gaols, based on a detailed record study of the 812 prisoners who escaped during the 6 year period, July 1983 to June 1989. Escapes from NSW gaols are a relatively rare occurrence. The majority of escapes (68.4%) occurred from within minimum security institutions. A further 12.3% of escapes refer to prisoners who fall to return on time from an unescorted temporary absence from the gaol, such as day/weekend leave, attendance at technical college or university, etc. Escapees tended to be younger, more likely to be serving sentences for property offences, more likely to be held in minimum security, more likely to have lower security classifications and less likely to be held on remand than prisoners in general. There is no particular point in their sentence when escapees are more likely to escape. While there are variations in patterns of escape or characteristics of escapees from year to year, there are no clear trends over time. The characteristics of escapees determined in this study suggest that reasons exist for escaping other than the presentation of the opportunity. More than one-quarter (28.6%) of the escapees were recaptured on either the day they escaped or the following day. Half (50%) of the escapees were recaptured within 8 days of their escape. The majority of escapees (74.2%) were not convicted of committing any offences whilst at large. Of those who were convicted, offences committed whilst at large are most commonly property offences (74.9%) such as break, enter and steal or larceny of a motor vehicle

Personal Services Assistance after the Sydney Floods of August 1986

1987 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 22-25
Author(s):  
Allison Rowlands
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Relief ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Community Services ◽  
The State ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Personal Services ◽  
Post Disaster

In New South Wales, the State Disaster Welfare Plan provides the structure for disaster relief and the co-ordination of both government and non-government bodies. The plan provides for a Personal Services and Welfare Information subcommittee in each regional or local area, responsible for assistance to individuals, groups and communities. This can be of a personal (e.g. counselling, referral) and information (e.g. dissemination, publicity, meetings) nature. Separate subcommittees are responsible for accommodation, clothing, catering and registration in the immediate post-disaster phase.The New South Wales Government also provides assistance to families who have suffered material losses in bushfires or floods, though a Relief Scheme, administered by the Department of Youth and Community Services and the Bushfire/Flood Relief Committee. The department is divided into ten regions throughout the state.

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