This Special Report is a research driven response to community concerns regarding the level of crime and fear of crime in the Northern Territory. The Northern Institute at Charles Darwin University and the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) were commissioned by the Northern Territory Police Force (NT Police) to undertake the NT Safe Streets Audit. The purpose of the Safe Streets Audit was to examine crime and safety issues in the Northern Territory urban communities of Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs and to help inform effective strategies to reduce the actual and perceived risk of victimisation.
The audit involved a literature review exploring issues impacting on the fear of crime in the Northern Territory, focus groups with a range of stakeholders in Darwin, Alice Springs and Katherine, the analysis of media articles on crime and policing, the analysis of incident data from NT Police on assault offences and public disorder incidents, and a rapid evidence assessment of the effectiveness of strategies targeting NT crime problems.
Implications for future crime reduction approaches in the Northern Territory were then identified.
Prepared by the Northern Institute at Charles Darwin University and the Australian Institute of Criminology.
Contents
- Acronyms
- Executive summary
- Introduction
- Current NT Police crime reduction strategies and operations
- Perceptions of safety in the Northern Territory
- Patterns of violence and public disorder in the Northern Territory
- Opportunities and priorities for Northern Territory crime reduction
- Evidence-based strategies to address Northern Territory crime problems
- Considerations for the successful implementation of Northern Territory crime reduction strategies
- Implications for future crime reduction in the Northern Territory
- References
- Appendix A: Review of crime prevention approaches