Queensland’s new LNP government has claimed victim of crime numbers have fallen, as it reaches an in principle agreement for a new pay deal with police that includes an $8,000 retention bonus.
During last October’s election campaign, Premier David Crisafulli promised to resign from the top job if there were not fewer victims of crime by the end of his term.
He today said victim numbers had fallen by 5.7 per cent in the first six months of the 2025 calendar year, compared to the first six months of 2024.
David Crisafulli promised to bring down victim numbers during last year’s election campaign. (ABC News)
“Robbery is down 13.2 per cent. Break and enters are down 12 per cent. Stolen cars are down 6.4 per cent,” Mr Crisafulli said.
“Just to be clear, the information that we are presenting is Queensland Police Service data. It’s been there since 2001, so it is apples with apples.
“What we are doing with this is to make sure that Queenslanders can hold me accountable for the commitment I made to fewer victims.”
Mr Crisafulli said the figures cover 12 categories of crime, including homicide, assault, robbery, kidnapping, life endangering acts, unlawful entry, and coercive control.
“Across those categories, that’s where the drop has come about, which is 5.7 per cent with population adjusted [or] 3.3 per cent just on raw numbers,” he said.
In total numbers, the government says victim numbers have fallen from 75,084 to 72,588 over this period.
Griffith University criminal psychologist James Ogilvie said crime statistics are “complicated” and the data did not give a good sense of long-term trends.
“You would need at least a couple of years’ worth of data to be able to make some kind of assessment about whether their policies are making any impact,” he said.
“Policy and legislation [are] constantly moving and it’s only one small part of the picture about what makes up crime statistics.”
Despite the government’s heavy focus on the issue, Dr Ogilvie said violent offences made up only a small portion of youth crime.
QPS statistics reveal robbery is down 13.2 per cent in the first half of the year, with break and enters down 12 per cent. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)
‘Other thefts’ excluded from reported data
Mr Crisafulli acknowledged the figures he provided were different to those published annually by the Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
This is because it does not include the category of “other thefts”, which Mr Crisafulli suggested could relate to victimless crimes.
For example, Mr Crisafulli indicated the theft of a road marker was a crime without a victim.
“That’s certainly a crime and that data has always been included in some of the ABS stats,” he said.
“But in the spirit of transparency we thought we would give you the ones that do relate to the victims.”
‘Too early’ to link youth crime drop to tough new laws
During budget estimates, Opposition Leader Steven Miles pressed the government on why it had excluded “other theft” from its victims figures.
According to the ABS, there were more than 150,000 victims of “other theft” recorded in Queensland in 2023.
The ABS website suggests this includes “theft from a person” and “theft from retail premises”.
In response, Mr Crisafulli said if other theft had been included in the figures he released, the crime rate would have fallen further.
“The fall in other theft was about six-and-a-half per cent. I think it was about 6.4 [per cent],” he said.
“So, the reduction in other theft, it would have looked more favourable on the government if that was included in those metrics.”
Dr Ogilvie said excluding “other theft” offences from the data left a huge portion of reported crime out of the statistics.
Police union welcomes ‘largest ever’ pay proposal
The government has also announced the Queensland Police Union has agreed in principle to a new enterprise bargaining agreement.
The proposal will need to be voted on by union members before it comes into effect.
It will deliver a minimum pay rise of 3 per cent from July 1 this year, followed by a 2.5 per cent hike in July next year, and a 2.5 per cent rise in July 2027.
An $8,000 retention bonus will also be paid to general duty officers, including constables, senior constables, sergeants, and senior sergeants.
The bonus will be broken into two $4,000 payments, with the first paid in January 2026 followed by a second payment in January 2027.
Dan Purdie says the pay deal will include an $8,000 retention bonus for officers. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)
Police Minister Dan Purdie said there would also be an increase in shift allowances, as well as a boost in the allowances given to rural officers.
“This is a fantastic deal for our frontline police right across Queensland,” he said.
“We appreciate the work that they do, the risks that they take, and the sacrifices that they make, and this deal reflects that.”
Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior described the EBA as the “largest ever pay deal” for Queensland police.
“$540 million will go into wages and conditions for police in Queensland,” he said.
“This EB is for the hardworking frontliner. This EB is for the attraction and the retention of police going into the future.”