Find out about patterns in recorded offences and in the outcomes of apprehensions in 2011 and 2012.

Types of offences recorded

Offences can be split into three different categories. This makes a useful distinction when trying to get a sense of how recorded offences affect society. The categories are:

• crimes against person (eg assault, robbery, dangerous or negligent acts)
• crimes against property (eg theft, burglary, property damage)
• disorder and other offences (eg possession of drugs or weapons, public order offences).

Table 1 shows that, in 2012, 61 percent of crimes were against property. This was down from 63 percent in 2011. Crimes against people made up 16 percent of all recorded crime, up 1 percent from 2011. Disorder and other offences were also up 1 percent from 2011, to 23 percent. 

Table 1

Outcome of apprehensions made

The number of apprehensions in a year is another key measure for crime. When someone is apprehended, there are several possible outcomes:

• prosecution in a criminal court
• a warning or caution
• being sent to a family group conference
• being sent to the Police Youth Aid section
• other.

‘Other’ is an outcome for approximately 5 percent of all apprehensions. In these cases the alleged offender is either deceased, apprehended for a more serious offence, or there are questions about the mental condition of the offender.

In 2012, 58 percent of apprehensions resulted in prosecution in a criminal court. Figure 1 shows this percentage dropped significantly over the five years to 2012; in 2008, 71 percent of all apprehensions had resulted in a prosecution. Over the same period, the number of warning or cautions increased from 15 percent in 2008 to 32 percent 2012.

Table 2 shows the main driver behind the drop in prosecutions in a criminal court was fewer prosecutions for disorder offences. While the number of both personal crimes and property crimes that led to prosecutions decreased slowly in the five years to 2012, the number of disorder crimes dropped substantially, from 76 percent of apprehensions in 2008 to 51 percent in 2011.

In contrast, apprehensions resulting in warnings for disorder and other offences have increased, from 16 percent of apprehensions in 2008 to 44 percent in 2012.

Table 2