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Division

12 Property damage and environmental pollution

Australian and New Zealand Standard Offence Classification (ANZSOC)
Reference period
2011
Released
2/06/2011

Division 12 - Property damage and environmental pollution

The wilful and unlawful destruction, damage or defacement of public or private property, or the pollution of property or a definable entity held in common by the community.

For this division, ‘destruction’ means altering the property in any way so as to render it imperfect or inoperative.

This division is further disaggregated into subdivisions on the basis of whether property was damaged by pollution or by other means.

Offences in this division are classified into the following subdivisions:

121 Property damage

122 Environmental pollution

Exclusions:

Possess any object with intent to destroy or damage property. This should be coded to Group 1312, Criminal intent.

Threat to damage or destroy property. This should be coded to Group 0532, Threatening behaviour.

Subdivision

121 Property damage

Subdivision 121 Property damage

The wilful and unlawful destruction, damage or defacement of property excluding pollution.

For this subdivision, ‘property’ means something of a tangible nature, including money, land, conveyances or animals, capable of being owned either privately or publicly.

For this subdivision, ‘destruction’ means altering the property in any way so as to render it imperfect or inoperative, other than polluting.

This subdivision is further disaggregated on the basis of whether property damage occurred as a result of fire or explosion, or other means.

Offences in this subdivision are classified into the following groups:

1211 Property damage by fire or explosion

1212 Graffiti

1219 Property damage, nec

Inclusions:

Damage or kill flora/fauna

Property damage caused by a riot

Tamper with a motor vehicle

Exclusions:

Desecrate graves/interfere with corpse. These are coded to Group 1319, Disorderly conduct, nec.

1211 Property damage by fire or explosion

Property damage caused by fire or explosion.

Inclusions:

Arson

Malicious property damage by fire or explosion

Exclusions:

Malicious property damage not by fire or explosion. These are coded to Group 1219, Property damage, nec.

1212 Graffiti

Property damage caused by the application of substances (e.g. paint, posters and/or plastic, metal or wood based compounds) to the surface of the property.

Inclusions:

Graffiti/deface building

Bill posting

Exclusions:

Vandalism. These are coded to Group 1219, Property damage, nec.

1219 Property damage, nec

Property damage other than by fire or explosion.

Inclusions:

Vandalism

Sacrilege

Kill/injure cattle or other animals

Damage/obstruct mines

Tamper with a motor vehicle (where no property is taken)

Tamper with a fire hydrant

Malicious property damage not by fire or explosion

Industrial sabotage (e.g. a conscious action or inaction directed towards the damaging or destruction of the work environment.)

Contaminate commercial goods

Computer hacking involving property damage

Exclusions:

Graffiti/deface building. These are coded to Group 1212, Graffiti.

Bill posting. These are coded to Group 1212, Graffiti.

Malicious property damage by fire or explosion. These are coded to Group 1211, Property damage by fire or explosion.

Subdivision

122 Environmental pollution

Subdivision 122 Environmental pollution

Actions that result in the polluting of property.

For this subdivision, ‘property’ is deemed to be the definable entities of air, water, noise, soil, or the environment, that are held in common by the community.

This subdivision is further disaggregated on the basis of the nature of the element of the environment polluted.

Offences in this subdivision are classified into the following groups:

1221 Air pollution offences

1222 Water pollution offences

1223 Noise pollution offences

1224 Soil pollution offences

1229 Environmental pollution, nec

Exclusions:

Offences concerned with motor vehicle pollution. These are coded to Group 1422, Roadworthiness offences.

Offences involving breaches of environmental rules and regulations but not actually involving pollution. These are coded to Group 1691, Environmental regulation offences.

1221 Air pollution offences

Actions that result in the polluting of air.

1222 Water pollution offences

Actions that result in the polluting of water and/or water utilities.

1223 Noise pollution offences

Actions that result in levels of noise exceeding government regulations.

1224 Soil pollution offences

Actions that result in the polluting of soil.

1229 Environmental pollution, nec

Environmental pollution offences not elsewhere classified in Subdivision 122, Environmental pollution.