Tumbarumba
Safety
What the results tell us for Tumbarumba
Residents of Tumbarumba feel that they live in a relatively safe community. This is supported by crime statistics there for the period 1999–2003 (see Table 1), which show relatively few major offences. There was one murder, and no attempted murders or manslaughters reported in those years. Assault figures decreased from a high of 39 in 2001 to 30 in 2003; this decrease is significant in a shire with a small population.
Malicious damage to property figures increased from 34 in 1999 to a high of 78 in 2002, before dropping to 67 in 2003. Council is concerned that regular vandalism of public facilities is a significant cost to the small community. Council has also noted a number of violent incidents at a local hotel. Whilst these incidents are infrequent, they can have a significant impact on residents' perceptions about living in a safe community.
Local police take a high profile within the community and have assisted in measures to reduce alcohol related crime in the shire. Alcohol free zones were introduced there in 1996. Anecdotal evidence from the police is that the zones make it easier for them to deal with alcohol related anti-social behaviour. A liquor accord has been introduced in the town of Tumbarumba. Under the accord, people are barred for set periods from licensed premises if they have been found to be involved in alcohol related anti-social behaviour on those premises.
| Type of offence | Number of offences in each year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | |
| Homicide | |||||
| Murder* | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attempted murder | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Murder accessory, conspiracy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Manslaughter - not driving* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Manslaughter - driving* # | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Driving causing death^ # | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| Assault | 35 | 31 | 39 | 33 | 30 |
| Sexual offences | |||||
| Sexual assault | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 2 |
| Indecent assault, act of indecency | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Other sexual offences | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Abduction and kidnapping | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robbery | |||||
| Robbery without a weapon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robbery with a firearm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robbery with a weapon not a firearm | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other offences against the person | 4 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 7 |
| Theft | |||||
| Break and enter - dwelling | 10 | 5 | 9 | 19 | 14 |
| Break and enter - non-dwelling | 12 | 21 | 18 | 23 | 14 |
| Possess implements | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Receiving | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Goods in custody | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Steal from motor vehicle | 12 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 15 |
| Steal from retail store | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Steal from dwelling | 6 | 8 | 19 | 10 | 6 |
| Steal from person | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Stock theft | 5 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 10 |
| Fraud | 9 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Other theft | 17 | 21 | 14 | 18 | 20 |
| Demand money with menaces | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Extortion, blackmail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Malicious damage to property | 34 | 34 | 64 | 78 | 67 |
| Drug offences | |||||
| Possession and/or use of cocaine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Possession and/or use of narcotics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Possession and/or use of cannabis | 14 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Possession and/or use of other drugs | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Dealing, trafficking in cocaine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dealing, trafficking in narcotics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dealing, trafficking in cannabis | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dealing, trafficking in other drugs | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cultivating cannabis | 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| Importing drugs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other drug offences | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Offensive behaviour | |||||
| Offensive conduct | 3 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 4 |
| Offensive language | 2 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 5 |
| Prostitution offences | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Betting and gaming offences | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Weapons offences | 5 | 15 | 3 | 21 | 4 |
| Against justice procedures | |||||
| Escapee - Corrective Services custody | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Escapee - Police custody | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Escapee - juvenile detention | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Escapee - other custody | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Breach Apprehended Violence Order | 5 | 8 | 5 | 19 | 14 |
| Breach bail conditions | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Breach of recognizance | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fail to appear | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Other offences against justice procedures | 3 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Driving offences# | |||||
| Culpable driving | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| PCA | 11 | 14 | 11 | 13 | - |
| Drive while disqualified | 2 | 1 | 13 | 4 | - |
| Drive manner/speed dangerous | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | - |
| Other driving offences | 22 | 23 | 258 | 349 | - |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs^ | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Dangerous or negligent driving^ | - | - | - | - | 17 |
| Driving while licence cancelled or suspended^ | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| Driving without a licence^ | - | - | - | - | 13 |
| Driving licence offences, nec^ | - | - | - | - | 25 |
| Registration offences^ | - | - | - | - | 21 |
| Roadworthiness offences^ | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| Exceeding the prescribed content of alcohol limit^ | - | - | - | - | 13 |
| Exceeding legal speed limit^ | - | - | - | - | 217 |
| Parking offences^ | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| Regulatory driving offences, nec^ | - | - | - | - | 76 |
| Other offences | 33 | 32 | 52 | 56 | 51 |
Source: Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research;
Notes: nec = not elsewhere classified; * Number of recorded victims; ^ Number of legal actions commenced, including referrals to court and infringement notices; # In July 2003, NSW Police changed the way they classify traffic incidents. The incidence of specific driving offences could no longer be determined directly from police incident categories. In response to this change, from 2003 onwards, the unit of measurement used by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research when reporting driving offences was the number of legal actions commenced by police rather than the number of incidents recorded. Legal actions include infringement notices, court referrals, formal cautions under the Young Offenders Act and Youth Conference referrals. From 2003 onwards, the driving offences reported accord with those in the Australian Standard Offence Classification (ASOC).
About the data
Crime statistics are from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, viewed 19 April 2005, at http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/bocsar1.nsf/pages/lga_alphalist.
Recorded crime statistics represent incidents recorded by the police (see explanatory notes on the website http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/pages/bocsar_lga_notes).
Information on safety and safety issues was provided by Tumbarumba Shire Council.