Rockingham's crime spike

A spike of 75 per cent in assaults and burglaries in Rockingham in the first half of 2011 has police at a loss as to explain why.

Crime statistics show burglaries totalled 191 in the first half of the year (an average of over one a day), compared with 107 in the corresponding period last year.

Assaults are also up, from 109 in the first half of 2010 to 163 this year.

Figures for the same crime categories are also up on last year in Port Kennedy and Baldivis.

In Rockingham, there was also a big rise in commercial burglaries in the week ending July 10, with seven reported.

Peel Crime Prevention and Diversity Officer Phil Tuffin said he couldn’t explain the reason for the increase, but didn’t think it was drug related.

‘‘There has been no significant change in the number of people being dealt with on drug issues,’’ he said.

However, he did suggest it could be due to the economy and the shortage of money in the area.

High unemployment in the area is topped by Kwinana at 10.8 per cent, the highest in the metro area outside the CBD.

Of the 191 robberies logged by police in Rockingham in the first six months, 122 involved dwellings and 69 commercial properties.

January was the worst month, with 43 burglaries and 45 assaults.

There were 138 commercial and residential burglaries in Port Kennedy in the first half of the year (92 in 2010 and 204 for the year), with 36 in January.

Assaults were down slightly, from 43 to 40.

In Baldivis, there were 110 burglaries (84 last year and 151 for the whole year) and 28 assaults (unchanged), Warnbro 75 and 68, Waikiki 60 and 37, Kwinana 16 and 28, Wellard 50 and 10 and Shoalwater 34 and 13.

Sen. Cons. Tuffin said while there had been a big drop in the number o f commercial robberies over the past 10 years, there had been a big increase in the last couple of months.