Police has released two sets of ‘ram raid’ data here.

The first set is Text Mined Operational Offence Statistics, created to be able to report against questions regarding historic and current volumes of ‘ram raids’, and to compare against other crime types. It initially included only retail ‘ram raids’ but in January 2023 was retrospectively widened to include both retail and commercial ‘ram raid’ data.

The second set is Individually Reviewed File Programme Data created with the end goal of determining whether retail outlets might be eligible to be supported through the Retail Crime Prevention Programme. This data holds reviewed instances as far back as 1 January 2021.

Police offence codes are based on the Crimes Act, and there is no specific offence for ‘ram raids’. This means to bring together this ‘ram raid’ specific information, Police has text mined data and searched and reviewed files.

Assistant Commissioner Bruce O’Brien says given a ‘ram raid’ doesn’t have its own offence code, it makes automatic collation of the data for statistics challenging

“When you’re trying to measure something specific you don’t have a category for, it’s always going to be harder and more complex.

“However, we’ve come up with two solutions and they both work for their specific purposes.

The data is drawn from live data sets for both. Because operational information can be updated, numbers in each can change depending on when the data is sourced.

“Police operational data will always be live data that can change as investigations progress. From an operational perspective this is not an issue as the pattern of offences will be visible at the local and district level, and policing deployment choices and investigations will follow.

“Our focus is on having information which will support our people to do their jobs – preventing crime and holding offenders to account. I am confident the data we have is supporting our people to do that.

“At the same time, it’s important to recognise that Police alone cannot solve some of the complex societal issues at play. We are committed to working with our partners and communities as we know we don’t hold all the answers.”

Note to media – definitions:

• A ram raid is a burglary in which a vehicle has been used to enter, or attempt to enter, commercial or retail premises.
• An aggravated robbery refers to a robbery that involved serious injury to someone, two or more people working together in a robbery, or a robbery where the offender had a weapon or item that appears to be a weapon. A vehicle does not need to have been used to enter or attempt to enter the premises to constitute an aggravated robbery.
• A burglary refers to entry or attempted entry into a building without permission with the intent to commit a crime.
• A robbery refers to theft or attempted theft of property accompanied by force or the threat of violence to a person or property.

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