A surge in reported indecent assaults in NSW may be the result of an increasing number of people being encouraged to come forward because of the royal commission into child sexual abuse.
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Most major crimes are at the lowest they have been for more than 20 years but the rate of indecent assault increased by almost 8 per cent over the past two years, the latest NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research report has revealed.
The director of BOCSAR, Don Weatherburn, attributed the rise to an increase in historical reports and reports by child victims who may have been encouraged by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Sexual Abuse, which is expected to run until 2017. There has also been an increase in grooming and procuring offences, which have become more prevalent online.
Dr Weatherburn said the rise in reporting would act as a deterrent to potential abusers. ''The biggest deterrent is the possibility of detection,'' he said. ''It's really important to get these sorts of offences reported … and prosecuted.''
Deputy Police Commissioner Nick Kaldas said the increase was positive. ''We feel [the royal commission] has to have had an impact … in more people feeling confident and coming forward and reporting what's happened,'' he said. ''That can't be a bad thing.''
The rise in indecent assaults mostly involved girls aged 10 to 15. In 92 per cent of cases, they were assaulted by someone they knew.
Leonie Sheedy, executive officer of advocacy group Care Leavers Australia Network, said they had ''absolutely'' had an increase in people coming forward to report historical abuse since the royal commission began last year.
''It's given legitimacy that somebody is taking what happened to them seriously,'' she said. ''I've taken a few people straight into the police station.''
The only other major crime offence to increase significantly in NSW in the past two years was fraud, mainly because of the unauthorised use of credit cards.
In previous years, the increase in fraud has been attributed to service station petrol theft but changes to the way operators report drive-offs have affected the statistics.
Since September last year, service stations have been required to report petrol theft by fax, and Dr Weatherburn said the more onerous requirements have resulted in a sharp drop in rates of reported petrol theft, which is included in the fraud category. ''I wouldn't take the drop seriously; it may well be as bad as ever,'' he said.
Vehicle theft, robbery and break and enter are at the lowest they have been for more than 20 years.
