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1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2007  
Previous ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/01/2007   
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Contents >> Crime and Justice >> Outcomes of police investigations

OUTCOMES OF POLICE INVESTIGATIONS

Statistics about the outcomes of police investigations describe the status of the processes of police investigations that are initiated following the reporting or detection of an offence. At any point in time, the status of investigations can include:

  • not finalised (i.e. were still continuing, were pending or were suspended)
  • finalised without an offender being proceeded against because the reported offence was not verified, the complaint was withdrawn, or the alleged offender could not be proceeded against because of some statutory or procedural bar
  • finalised and an offender was proceeded against by initiating court action or some other form of formal proceeding (e.g. a diversionary conference or a formal caution).

Table 11.23 shows in 2005, approximately two-thirds of the investigations into driving causing death (68%), attempted murder (65%) and murder (64%) were finalised within 30 days of a victim becoming known to police.

The lowest proportions of finalisations at 30 days were for victims of unlawful entry with intent (9%), and motor vehicle theft (12%) and other theft (15%). However, of the total finalised for these offence types, a high proportion had an offender proceeded against by police: other theft (85%), unlawful entry with intent (81%) and motor vehicle theft (72%).

The highest proportions of investigations finalised where there was no offender proceeded against were for victims of kidnapping/abduction (32%), motor vehicle theft (28%), blackmail/extortion (26%) and robbery (25%).

11.23 VICTIMS OF RECORDED CRIME(a), By outcome of investigations at 30 days - 2005
Finalised
Offence
Not finalised
No offender
proceeded
against
Offender
proceeded
against
Total(b)
Homicide and related offences
Murder
98
16
156
270
Attempted murder
97
8
168
273
Manslaughter
16
-
9
25
Driving causing death
64
11
126
201
Total
275
35
459
769
Kidnapping/abduction
479
82
171
732
Robbery
Armed robbery
4,674
250
1,296
6,223
Unarmed robbery
8,227
733
1,603
10,566
Total
12,901
983
2,899
16,789
Blackmail/extortion
216
45
131
392
Unlawful entry with intent
Involving the taking of property
186,543
3,354
14,258
204,195
Other
71,136
1,775
7,016
79,993
Total
257,679
5,129
21,274
284,188
Motor vehicle theft
71,242
2,686
6,792
80,738
Other theft
441,633
11,397
65,814
519,128
(a) Depending on the type of crime, a victim may be a person, a premise, an organisation or a motor vehicle.
(b) Includes unknown outcomes of investigation.
Source: Recorded Crime - Victims, Australia, 2005 (4510.0).


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