Albany crime statistics 2021-22: New figures show rise and fall of crime across City of Albany’s 61 suburbs

Lockyer has recorded its lowest crime rate in the nine years of records publicly available, with the latest police figures revealing the rise and fall of crime across the city. The Advertiser has crunched the numbers on crime in all 61 suburbs of the City of Albany after WA Police this month published its annual statistics for the 2021-22 financial year. The statistics cover 18 selected offence categories and can be broken down by suburb, dating back to 2013-14. In Lockyer, home burglaries, drug offences, fraud and stealing hit new lows in 2021-22. Drug offences plummeted from a peak of 85 in 2013-14 to just three in 2021-22, while home burglaries fell from 23 to four in the same period. Total offences across all 18 categories dropped from 295 in 2013-14 to 122 in the past year. Stealing offences reached a high of 50 in 2018-19 — when the total figure for all 18 categories was 205 — before dropping steadily to 10 in 2021-22. It left the suburb with a crime rate of 94 offences offences per 1000 people, compared with about 240 nine years ago. Lockyer was one of several Albany suburbs to enjoy a significant reduction in crime in the past 12 months. Mira Mar also recorded its lowest offence count in the past nine years, with its total of 106 barely half of its peak of 203 in 2013-14. Mira Mar’s positive results, which gave it a crime rate of 56, were driven by steep year-on-year reductions in home burglaries (22 to 6) and property damage (18 to 5). Mt Melville was another suburb that set a new benchmark for total offences — from a high of 144 in 2018-19 to 54 in 2021-22 — with drug offences, property damage and fraud all reaching nine-year lows. Other suburbs to record their lowest or equal lowest total offences in the past nine years were Little Grove, Gledhow, Mt Clarence, Emu Point, Elleker, Redmond, Seppings, Cuthbert and Manypeaks. Among the concerning results was a surge in drug offences in Centennial Park, from the suburb’s previous highest of 28 to 61 in 2021-22. That gave Centennial Park the unenviable title of having the most drug offences in the City of Albany — including the CBD — despite its relatively low residential population of 641. McKail had its highest number of assaults — both family and non-family — in the nine years of records, with both figures more than double the next highest. But the overall picture was a positive one, headlined by a significant reduction in home burglaries in suburbs across the city. Spencer Park, Bayonet Head, Yakamia, Mira Mar, Lockyer, Centennial Park and Emu Point all had their lowest numbers of home burglaries. Responding to the figures, Great Southern Police District Acting Superintendent Glenn Spencer said police were already dealing with a new increase in burglaries. “We respond to crime trends and spikes as they occur, or as best we can predict based on previous offending,” he said. “There has been reduction in residential burglaries for the previous year, however, we are experiencing a current spike in burglary in the wider Albany area. “Crooks are targeting sheds, garages and commercial premises specifically, looking for tools, which are easily disposed of. “We are also seeing a spike in the theft of off road motorbikes. “Several people have been charged in relation to some of the offending and Albany police are executing search warrants and chasing suspects who are out at night committing offences. “Albany police have been working with the City of Albany and retailers to promote engraving tools with identifiable features — a driver’s license number, for example, which makes it harder to sell stolen property, or makes it easier for us to identify the owner when we seize property suspected of being stolen.” Acting Supt Spencer said across the Great Southern Police District, the 2021-22 crime statistics were 8 per cent down on the previous financial year and 23 per cent below the five-year average. “The challenge we face is maintaining that steady decline — particularly as people face tough economic times or are faced with housing pressures,” he said. “Unfortunately, sometimes the quickest option is to revert to criminal behaviour and so it is important for us as a community to identify people who need help early and refer them to support agencies.”