Crime in the Australian Capital Territory is controlled by

ACT Policing ACT Policing is the portfolio of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) responsible for providing policing services to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The Australian Capital Territory Police was an independent police force responsible for ...

(part of the

Australian Federal Police The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government with the unique role of investigating crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth of Australia. Th ...

), which is responsible for providing policing services to the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...

(ACT). Prisons are managed by

ACT Corrective Services ACT Corrective Services (ACTCS) is an agency of the Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JACSD) of the ACT government, Australian Capital Territory government in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. It is responsible for a wide range ...

. Crimes against person in the ACT for the 2017-2018 year were roughly equivalent to whole of Australia averages. Some types of crime, notably theft from motor vehicle, malicious property damage and other theft, were higher than the Australia-wide average.

Pre-federation history of crime in the area

John Tennant was a

bushranger Bushrangers were originally escaped convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who used the bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities. By the 1820s, the term had evolved to refer to those who took up "robbery under ...

active in the area in the 1820s. In 1826 Tennant and another man, John Ricks, absconded from their assigned landholder and took to the bush.

Mount Tennent Mount Tennent ( Aboriginal: ') is a mountain with an elevation of in the southern part of the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. The Gudgenby River flows at the base of the mountain. Location and features Mount Tennent is named afte ...

is named after him as it was on the slopes of this steep mountain, behind the village of

Tharwa Tharwa (postcode 2620) is a township within the District of Paddys River, Australian Capital Territory, south of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. At the , Tharwa had a population of 81. The village is located on the banks of the Murr ...

, where he would hide until his capture in 1828.

Canberra

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

has the lowest rate of crime of any capital city in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The 2017 crime statistics showed a rise in some types of personal crime, notably burglaries, thefts and assaults. ACT Policing Chief Police Officer Justine Saunders blamed the rise in assault statistics partly on victims having more confidence to report crimes, especially family violence, but also growing recidivism and drug addiction. The pattern of crime varied widely amongst different suburbs, but armed robberies, home burglaries and car theft had risen sharply. The

Australian Federal Police Association The Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA) is a registered Industrial Organisation under the ''Fair Work Act 2009'' operating as a Branch of the Police Federation of Australia. The AFPA has sole autonomous political and industrial coverage ...

said that police numbers across the ACT had not increased in line with the rapid population growth in the past five years, with president Angela Smith adding that the rise in violent, complex crimes showed that something was "seriously wrong". Incarceration rates in 2017 were low compared with other states and territories.

References

External links

ACT Policing crime statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crime In Australia

Pre-federation history of crime in the area

Canberra

See also

References

External links