NSW Recorded Crime Statistics - third quarter 2006

Release Date: Tuesday, 28 November 2006
 

The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research released its September quarterly crime statistics report today. The report covers trends in crimes recorded by NSW Police over the two-year period from October 2004 to September 2006.

The report shows that in the majority of areas in NSW over the last two years, serious crime either remained stable or fell.

There were State-wide decreases in four of the 17 major categories of crime during the previous 24-month period.

Over the 24 months to September 2006, the recorded incidence of:

Each of the remaining 13 major categories of crime ¹ remained stable.

There were, however, some significant departures from the overall State trend in parts of Inner and Western Sydney. The most noteworthy of the upward trends were:

• Inner Sydney Statistical Subdivision (SSD): A 50 per cent increase in the number of robberies with a firearm.
• Canterbury-Bankstown SSD: A 32 per cent increase in the number of unarmed robberies
• Inner Western SSD: A 71 per cent increase in the number of robberies with a firearm
• Central Western SSD: A 33 per cent increase in the number of unarmed robberies and a 19 per cent increase in the number of robberies with a weapon other than a firearm
• Outer Western Sydney SSD: A 26 per cent increase in the number of home break-ins and a 15 per cent increase in the number of incidents of malicious damage to property
• Northern Beaches: A 19 per cent increase in malicious damage to property
• Blacktown SSD: A 39 per cent increase in the number of unarmed robberies, an 18 per cent increase in the number of thefts from motor vehicles and a 32 per cent increase in the number of incidents of fraud.

The most notable of the downward trends were:

• Eastern Suburbs SSD: A 33 per cent fall in sexual assault and a 21 per cent fall in home break-ins
• Canterbury-Bankstown SSD: A 23 per cent decrease in non-dwelling burglaries
• Central Western Sydney SSD: A 13 per cent fall in home burglaries and a 17 per cent fall in non-dwelling burglaries
• Northern Beaches SSD: A 29 per cent fall in stealing from a motor vehicle and a 12 per cent fall in stealing from a person

Regional NSW generally fared better than Sydney with fewer showing upward trends and a larger number showing downward or stable trends.

The most notable downward trends in regional NSW were:

• The Hunter Statistical Division (SD): An 18 per cent fall in unarmed robbery, a 13 per cent fall in household break-ins, an eight per cent fall in stealing from the person and a three per cent fall in non-domestic assault.
• The North Western SD: A 10 per cent fall in domestic assault, an 8 per cent fall in non-domestic assault, a 22 per cent fall in home break-ins and a 5 per cent fall in stealing from a dwelling.

The most notable upward trends in regional NSW were:

• Murray SD: A 27 per cent increase in fraud
• Far West SD: A 39 per cent increase in stealing from a motor vehicle
• Richmond-Tweed SD: A 19 per cent increase in malicious damage to property

Commenting on the figures, the Director of the Bureau, Dr Don Weatherburn, said that most categories of serious crime in NSW are substantially lower than they were five years ago, however the decreases over the last two years have been smaller than in past years and in a number of areas crime trends had started to level off.

Further enquiries: Dr Don Weatherburn 9231-9190 (w) 0419-494-408 (mob)

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¹ (viz. murder, assault - domestic violence related, assault - not domestic violence related, sexual assault, robbery without a weapon, robbery with a firearm, robbery with a weapon other than a firearm, break and enter - non-dwelling, stealing from motor vehicle, stealing from a retail store, stealing from a person, fraud and malicious damage to property)