Domestic violence and sexual assault reports increase significantly over five year

NSW Recorded Crime Statistics June 2022

Link to reports summary:

• NSW Recorded Crime Statistics quarterly update June 2022

• Supplementary Tables – 5 year trends for Statistical Areas (PDF, 271.3 KB)
  

• Supplementary Charts – graphs showing 5 year trends for key offences (PDF, 472.9 KB)
  

Release date: Thursday 15 September 2022

New statistics released today by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) show that police reports of domestic violence assault increased 11% in the five years to June 2022. Sexual assault reports increased 14% over the same period. 

By contrast, recorded incidents of nine of the 13 major crime categories showed large declines over the last five years.

• Break and enter – dwelling was 36% lower in 2021/22 compared with 2017/18
• Robbery was 38% lower in 2021/22 compared with 2017/18
• Car theft was 18% lower in 2021/22 compared with 2017/18

Other major offences showing significant declines over 5 years were non-DV assault (down 14%), break and enter – non dwelling (down 33%), steal from motor vehicle (down 31%), retail theft (down 30%), other stealing offences (down 34%), and malicious damage to property (down 20%).

BOCSAR Executive Director, Jackie Fitzgerald, said that the pandemic had wildly disrupted criminal behaviour resulting in unprecedented falls in crime across NSW.  "The Covid-crime reduction has delivered huge benefits to the volume of property offences. Unfortunately, however violent crimes generally have not fallen.  Police reports of domestic assault and sexual offences were already increasing before the pandemic and that hasn't changed." 

Sexual assault and DV assault trends

The five-year increase in domestic assault was driven by increases in certain metropolitan Sydney areas and regional communities. The largest increases were seen in Sutherland (up 43%), the Mid-North Coast (up 36%), Murray (up 36%), Baulkham Hills/Hawkesbury (up 29%), New England and North-West (up 28%) and Central West NSW (up 28%).

By comparison, the increase in sexual assault was most pronounced in regional NSW with incidents rising in Hunter Valley (up 40%), Southern Highlands (up 33%) and New England and North-West (up 31%). Recorded incidents of sexual assault in Sutherland also rose by 44% between the July 2017 and June 2022.

Further enquiries: Jackie Fitzgerald, Executive Director, BOCSAR  0423 139 687
Email: bcsr@justice.nsw.gov.au
Copies of the report: www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au