A new study released last week by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) showed that increasing the number of police searches and move-on directions can reduce crime.
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Move-on directions and person searches are two of the more common policing strategies employed by NSW Police to prevent and control crime.
In 2018, NSW Police issued 120,000 move-on directions and conducted 250,000 person and vehicle searches.
The BOSCAR study investigated the long-term relationship between these types of routine policing activity and recorded incidents of property and violent crime.
Both searches and move-on directions were found to significantly reduce car theft, break-ins and robbery over the long term.
The study estimates that;
- a 10 percent increase in move-on directions results in a 2.7 percent drop in break and enter and a 10 percent increase in person searches reduces break and enter by 2.4 percent
- a 10 percent increase in move-on directions yields a 2.2 percent reduction in motor vehicle theft and a 10 percent increase in person searches yields a 2.5 percent reduction in motor vehicle theft
- a 10 percent increase in move-on directions and person searches produces a 3.3 percent and 3.4 percent drop in robbery, respectively.
Neither police move-on directions nor person searches had any meaningful effect on assault according to the BOSCAR study data.
