Community safe as arrests and imprisonment rise
Issued:
Thursday, 15 May 2014.
[PDF, 164KB]
Increased arrest
rates and greater imprisonment rates had driven an increase in the NSW prison
population, according to the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Attorney
General Brad Hazzard said today.
“The number of people arrested has
increased even though the crime rate has been consistently falling, and the
people of NSW should feel safer than ever.”
He said BOCSAR had found:
“For
example, the number of people sentenced to prison terms for aggravated sexual
assault rose by nearly 11 percentage points over the last year, sending a clear
message that the community and the courts will not tolerate those who commit
sexual assault.”
Mr Hazzard was commenting on the release of the BOCSAR report that
highlights the increase in the NSW prison population.
“Ensuring there is room for
violent and dangerous offenders in our prisons is a constant challenge, but the
NSW Government is committed to ensuring community safety will be
paramount.”
“The government will continue to work with a range of agencies to
develop short, medium and long term options to respond to this issue while
continuing to ensure community safety.