Queensland crime stats data slammed

The Queensland Audit Office (QAO) has slammed the state’s police for its “questionable at best” crime statistics in a review of the criminal justice system’s data reliability and integration.

The audit found that an unacceptable amount of crime data kept by the Queensland Police Service is “incomplete, inaccurate and wrongly classified”.

According to the report, 22% of all occurrence reports recorded in the Queensland Police Records Information Management Exchange system were incomplete, inaccurate or both.

The audit states that there are long-existing flaws in the police force’s quality assurance processes, and calls for reforms including monitoring data trends to uncover poor reporting practices.

As a result of these issues, reported crime statistics are “questionable at best and unreliable at worst, and should be treated with caution”, the report states.

Gold Coast police have also allegedly been using methods designed to manipulate crime statistics such as policies designed to have victims of crimes including burglaries withdraw complaints, such as sending letters requiring victims to respond within seven days or the complaint would be closed.

Queensland Minister for Police Services Mark Ryan welcomed the release of the report, stating that the government “inspects reports released by our State Government Departments to effectively and accurately capture the data across the criminal justice system”.

He said the government has allocated $8.4 million over three years to establish an independent crime statistics body aimed at ensuring all statistics are analysed and cross-checked by a third party.

The move follows three years of the previous government electing not to release crime statistics to the general public, he said.

“I have spoken with both the Queensland Police and Queensland Corrective Services commissioners and have been assured that both agencies have either finalised or commenced implementation of the QAO’s data reliability and integration report’s recommendations,” Ryan said.

“I have also asked the Police Commissioner for regular updates on improvements to the QPS’s governance and quality assurance systems that are aimed at improving crime reporting quality and accuracy.”

Image courtesy of Highway Patrol Images under CC

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook