Shoplifting has almost doubled in a year as Ballina continues to stand out as a retail theft hotspot in the latest official crime figures.

Police recorded 321 retail theft incidents across Ballina Shire in the 12 months to June, compared with 174 the previous year, an extraordinary increase of almost 85 per cent.

It comes 12 months after Ballina News Daily reported Ballina had one of the worst records in regional NSW for shoplifting, with local retailers describing increasingly brazen thieves.

The latest figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) show things have not improved.

And shoplifting isn’t the only number heading in the wrong direction.

Assaults, fraud, intimidation and some sexual offences have all increased, although there is better news when it comes to home break-ins and stolen cars.

Ballina’s retail theft rate is now about 1.7 times the NSW average, with the latest 321 incidents comparing with 119 two years ago and just 103 a decade ago.

The problem is not confined to Ballina Shire, although the increase here has been particularly steep.

Retail theft was the only one of 13 major crime categories to record a statistically significant increase across regional NSW over the past two years, rising 11.9 per cent.

Assaults heading up

Police recorded 203 non-domestic violence assaults in Ballina Shire, up from 169 the previous year, an increase of about 20 per cent.

Domestic violence related assaults also increased from 157 to 183, compared with 112 a decade ago.

Alcohol was involved in 65 of those domestic violence assaults and 38 non-domestic violence assaults.

However, domestic violence remains significantly under-reported and police and community organisations have worked hard to encourage victims to come forward.

An increase in recorded incidents can therefore reflect both more offending and more victims reporting abuse which previously remained hidden.

Fraud was another big mover, jumping almost 25 per cent from 299 incidents to 373, putting Ballina’s rate at about 1.8 times the NSW average.

Intimidation, stalking and harassment increased from 203 incidents to 242.

Sexual assault remained relatively steady at 80 incidents, but the separate category covering sexual touching, sexual acts and other sexual offences jumped from 38 to 64.

Home break-ins fell about 20 per cent, from 197 to 157, while motor vehicle theft dropped 19 per cent, from 129 incidents to 104.

Stealing from a person more than halved from 16 incidents to seven, and no murders were recorded during the year.

On the downside, stealing from motor vehicles increased from 140 to 161, while malicious damage rose from 256 to 299.

The figures come as Ballina Shire Council rolls out its new $1 million Community Safety Network across Ballina and Lennox Head.

The federally funded network will include CCTV cameras at key locations, including the Ballina CBD, giving police another tool to investigate crime and identify offenders.

The lack of CCTV coverage in the CBD has long been a major concern for local businesses and the police.

Not every crime makes the statistics

The BOCSAR figures only reflect offences reported to or detected by police, meaning unreported shoplifting, domestic violence, sexual offences and other crimes are absent from the statistics.

It can also work the other way. Targeted police operations, better CCTV and increased reporting can result in more offences being detected, pushing recorded crime higher.

So while the figures don’t tell the whole story, they show a mixed picture across Ballina Shire: home break-ins and car theft are falling, while shoplifting, fraud, intimidation and several categories of violent and sexual offending are heading the other way.

TOMORROW: FIGHTING BACK

While Ballina’s retail theft figures continue to climb, the manager of the town’s biggest shopping centre reveals the strategies he says have dramatically reduced crime.