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Release date:18 April 2007, Embargo: 11.00am
Figures released today by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show that, apart from a 4.3 per cent increase in malicious damage to property, the major categories of crime across NSW either fell or remained stable over the 24 months to December 2006.
Over the 24 months to December 2006, the recorded incidence of:
The remaining 12 major categories of crime (murder, domestic assault, non-domestic assault, sexual assault, indecent assault, robbery without a weapon, robbery with a firearm, robbery with a weapon other than a firearm, steal from motor vehicle, steal from retail store, steal from a dwelling and fraud) remained stable.
The regional picture generally mirrored the State picture across the 154 LGAs, with 94.4 per cent of all trend tests showing either stable or falling crime in each of the 17 major categories. There were a few areas, however, where the regional pattern bucked the trend for the State as a whole.
The most notable of these were substantial increases in robbery without a weapon in Central Western Sydney (up 25.1 per cent), Blacktown (up 22.0 per cent) and Lower Northern Sydney (up 27.9 per cent). Central Western Sydney also experienced an increase in robbery with a weapon other than a firearm (up 23.4 per cent). In addition to the increase in robbery, Blacktown experienced increases in stealing from a motor vehicle (up 23.2 per cent) and fraud (up 43.5 per cent).
The most notable State-wide changes outside the Bureau's 17 major categories were a substantial decline in recorded incidents of use/possession of heroin and significant increases in use/possession offences involving ecstasy, amphetamines and cocaine, betting and gaming offences and breach bail. The Director of the Bureau, Dr Don Weatherburn cautioned that these trends could reflect changing law enforcement activity rather than changing crime.
Commenting on the figures, Dr Don Weatherburn said that the six-year decline in property crime that began around Christmas 2000 had now begun to level off, with more categories of crime becoming stable and fewer showing substantial declines.
"The picture for violent crime, particularly assault, is quite different. After substantial increases in the recorded rate of assault between 1995 and 2002, violent crimes had levelled off and over the last five years begun to show some slight signs of decline".
Further enquiries: Dr Don Weatherburn 9231-9190 (work) 0419-494-408 (mobile) http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au
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02 Jul 2024