I would be more inclined to say that the increase is caused by a deliberate attempt by the police to make the new policy look bad----they stop doing their job ---many of them cease catching anyone if they are not going to be punished according to what the police feel is appropriate punishment.
I doubt that more people are committing break and enters---the police are just not trying to catch those who are. Laurie. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Trudy Bray" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "news-clip" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, January 18, 2002 4:18 PM Subject: AAP: Crime soars without mandatory sentencing - CLP > Crime soars without mandatory sentencing - CLP > DARWIN, Jan 18 AAP|Published: Friday January 18, 3:07 PM > > The loss of mandatory sentencing in the Northern Territory had caused a sharp increase in Darwin home burglaries, the Country Liberal Party (CLP) > said today. > > The new Labor government repealed the CLP's four-year-old mandatory sentencing regime in October last year. > > Latest Neighbourhood Watch figures revealed a 43 per cent increase in reported offences against homes in the Darwin city area and its northern suburbs > in October and November. > > Acting Opposition Leader Mike Reed accused the government of replacing mandatory sentencing > with a policy of no punishment. > > "We're now seeing the results of this in a massive increase in offences against dwellings," Mr Reed said. > > "Kids know that it is this government's policy that they will never be punished for their criminal activities." > > Labor replaced mandatory sentencing with a so-called six-point plan which set sentencing parameters for property offences but allowed judges > discretion. > > The government has argued that increased property crime in the last police commissioner's annual report proved that mandatory sentencing had failed. > > By Rod McGuirk > > http://www.smh.com.au/breaking/2002/01/18/FFXCT5JKCQC.html > > > > ************************************************************************* > This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without > permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, > scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal > copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of > the copyright owner, except for "fair use." > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/ until 11 March, 2001 and Recoznettwo is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznettwo%40green.net.au/ from that date. This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use."
