Release date: Tuesday 18 March 2025
Links to report summary:
New data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) show that crime rates have been stable over the past two years.
Executive Director of the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Jackie Fitzgerald, says “It’s pleasing to see crime rates have been stable over the past two years. None of the 13 major crime categories increased in the two-years to December 2024, while one, steal from motor vehicle, fell significantly. For many offences, the recent stable trend follows years of decline. As a consequence, recorded incidents of robbery, break and enter, general stealing and malicious damage to property are all much lower than a decade ago. Recorded incidents of domestic assault, non-domestic assault and sexual violence, however, have increased over the past decade.”
“One unfortunate outlier in the latest crime statistics is the high number of murders recorded. In 2024, NSW recorded 85 murder victims, marking the highest annual number since 2014, when the state recorded 93 murder victims. The large number of murders in 2024 is due to an unusually high number of events involving multiple murder victims; with the incident in April 2024 at the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre accounting for six victims alone.”
Key findings
Two-year trends in major offences – NSW
- Over the 24 months to December 2024, recorded criminal incidents for 12 of the 13 major offence categories were stable. One major offence category, steal from motor vehicle, showed a significant decline (down 8.0%). This is the second consecutive quarter in which none of the 13 major offences increased.
- There were some localised crime increases in the 24 months to December 2024. For instance:
- Domestic violence assault increased 6.2% in Greater Sydney, and in three of 15 Greater Sydney locations and in three of 13 Regional locations.
- Motor vehicle theft increased 5.2% in Greater Sydney and in three of 15 Greater Sydney locations and in five of 13 Regional locations.
- Steal from retail store increased 10.4% in Regional NSW and is up in three of 15 Greater Sydney locations and in three of 13 Regional locations.
Ten-year trends in major offences – NSW
- In the ten years to December 2024, five of the 13 major offence categories increased significantly:
- domestic violence assault (up 3.1% per year on average),
- non-domestic assault (up 1.3% per year on average),
- sexual assault (up 8.8% per year on average),
- sexual touching, sexual act & other sexual offences (up 2.9% per year on average), and
- steal from retail store (up 2.7% per year on average).
- Murder and motor vehicle theft were stable in the ten years to 2024. Six major offences significantly declined: robbery, break & enter dwelling & non-dwelling, steal from motor vehicle, other stealing, and malicious damage.
Trends in murder
- There were 85 murder victims recorded by NSW Police in 2024, the highest number in a calendar year since 2014 when NSW recorded 93 murder victims.
- The 85 victims comprised of 46 adult men, 26 adult women and 13 young people and children (up from 36, 18 and four respectively in 2023); 45.9% were DV related.
- The high number of murders in 2024 was due to an unusually large number of murders involving multiple victims. In 2024, there were eight criminal events that involved two or more murder victims which resulted in 22 murder victims. By comparison, in the 14 years prior to 2024 (2010 to 2023) there were on average, two multiple victim murder events annually (ranging from 0 to 5 events) resulting in, on average, five murder victims annually (ranging from 0 to 13 victims).
- In 2024, 26% of all people murdered were killed in an event involving multiple victims. Half of these 22 murder victims were killed in DFV related circumstances.
- In 2024, there were 63 murder victims arising from a single victim murder event. This is comparable with past years; the average number of single victim murder events in the 14 years from 2010 to 2023 was 67.
For comment please contact:
Jackie Fitzgerald, Executive Director, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics & Research.
Phone: +61 423 139 687
Email: jackie.fitzgerald@dcj.nsw.gov.au