Motor vehicle theft decreases across Oxley Police District, small rise in robbery

Oxley Police District Commander Detective Superintendent Bruce Grassick told the Leader there has been a slight decrease in stolen cars across the police district.

In the last financial year, 256 cars were stolen across the Oxley Police District, compared to 265 the year before.

In the 2018 to 2019 period, 160 vehicles were stolen.

Superintendent Grassick said there had been an increase in motor vehicle theft offences, but that comes on the back of "significant work" by officers across the district.

READ ALSO:

He said under Operation Mongoose, which relaunched in November 2022 to target property crime, the local force has been bolstered by aviation support, the dog squad, and officers from other regions.

"Despite the increase we have seen positive results, and continue to see positive results with Mongoose," Superintendent Grassick said.

"The fluency of my police district always allows me to move my chess pieces wherever I need to, to combat these crimes."

New diversion and educational programs introduced during the last few years have also been key in keeping young people out of the judicial space, and is likely to have contributed to the recent decrease in motor theft, Superintendent Grassick said.

"We don't want to see them going in front of the courts."

Superintendent Grassick said arrests in relation to property crime are being made regularly, and he appealed to the community for assistance.

"We certainly haven't got out heads in the stand," Superintendent Grassick said.

He said it was "extremely important" anyone with information contacts police, Crime Stoppers, which can be done anonymously.

The slight changes across the Oxley Police District come as fresh data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR), released on Wednesday, showed motor vehicle theft, robberies, and assaults have increased at an alarming rate across the New England North West, which includes two overlapping police districts.

In the last financial year, 723 motor vehicles have been reported stolen across the New England North West

Compared to the period between July 2018 and June 2019, the current rate marks an increase of almost 80 per cent, with only 402 vehicles stolen in that year.

Across the last five years, the number of cars being stolen across the region has increased at an average rate of 15.8 per cent, and 31 per cent during the last two years.

The increase during the last two years is about eight per cent higher in the New England North West region, compared to the average increase across the state.

Officers have also seen a rise in reports of robberies across the region with the number of offences increasing by 51 per cent across the last two years.

Between July 2022 and June 2023, there have been 77 robberies reported to police. In the previous financial year, there we 51.

The increase in robberies across the New England North West goes against the downward trend of the offence throughout NSW.

The number of people stealing from retail stores has also spiked during the last financial year, with 200 more people charged with taking items from shops across the region.

Between July 2021 and June 2022, more than 500 people were caught red handed, but this number has grown to 740 incidents of shoplifting in the last year.

The figures mark an increase of 37 per cent.

BOCSAR executive director Jackie Fitzgerald said retail theft has increased steadily since offending fell dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There have been concerns that high inflation and rising cost of living have triggered a surge in shoplifting," Ms Fitzgerald said.

"But the view of retail theft presented by police data does not support this.

"If emerging external factors like cost of living were driving an increase in retail theft, we would expect theft volumes to be noticeably higher than pre-pandemic levels."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: