NSW Recorded Crime Statistics Sep 2013 Quarterly Report

Full report - NSW Recorded Crime Statistics: September 2013 Quarterly Report (PDF, 1009.5 KB) 

Graph - Ten years of shooting offences in NSW, Oct 2003 to Sep 2013 (PDF, 64.0 KB) 

Release date: Thursday, 5 December 2013 Embargo: 10.30am

Statewide trends

All major categories of crime in NSW except one either fell or remained stable over the 24 months to September 2013, according to the latest quarterly crime report released today by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.

The exception involved fraud offences, which increased by 20.7 per cent. Compared with past years, failing to pay for petrol from service stations accounted for a small percentage (6%) of the total increase in fraud over the last 24 months. Most of the increase came from unauthorized use of credit cards and bank cards.

Eight of the major offences showed significant downward trends. These included non-domestic assault (down 3.8%), robbery without a weapon (down 8.0%), break and enter dwelling (down 6.7%), break and enter non-dwelling (down 7.7%), motor vehicle theft (down 11.2%), steal from motor vehicle (down 3.9%), steal from person (down 10.8%) and malicious damage to property (down 6.4%).

Shooting incidents have now returned to their long term average (see graph on reverse side of media release).

There were sizeable increases in a number of recorded drug possession offences, including possession of cocaine (up 45.3%), amphetamines (up 13.6%) and other drugs (up 23.2%). These increases may be due to more intensive law enforcement rather than increased drug use.

Regional trends

The Statistical Areas of Greater Sydney, Coffs Harbour-Grafton, Illawarra and Richmond-Tweed all experienced substantial increases in the number of fraud incidents over the last two years. Most other parts of regional NSW, however, experienced either stable or falling crime trends in most other categories of crime.

One notable exception to this was for the New England and North West Statistical Area, which experienced a 64 per cent increase in robbery with a weapon (other than a firearm).

The biggest problems within the Greater Sydney Area were fraud and stealing from a retail store. Double digit increases in fraud were recorded in nine out of the 15 Greater Sydney Statistical Areas and similar-sized increases in stealing from a retail store were recorded in five out of the 15 Greater Sydney Statistical Areas.

The only other noteworthy problems in the Greater Sydney Area were in Ryde (non-domestic assault up 28.8%), the Inner South West (sexual assault up 25.5%), the Inner West (indecent assault and related offences up 44.1%), the South West (indecent assault and related offences up 15.3%), Parramatta (robbery without a weapon up 23.8%) and Sutherland (break and enter dwelling up 15.8%).

Further enquiries: Dr Don Weatherburn (02) 9231-9190

Copies of the report: www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au