Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research > Media Releases > 2017

​Crime down but not everywhere

NSW Recorded Crime Statistics quarterly update September 2017

Full report - NSW Recorded Crime Statistics quarterly update September 2017 (pdf, 900Kb)

Release date: 10.30am Thursday, 7 December 2017

State-wide trends

Crime across most of NSW has remained stable or fallen over the last two years. The only major exception to this is stealing from a retail store (up 4.7%). Half of this increase is attributable to an increase in the theft of liquor.

Seven offences have trended down over the last 24 months. The remaining 9 offences were stable. The offences trending down were:

  1. domestic violence related assault (down 3.5%)
  2. break and enter - dwelling (down 7.8%)
  3. break and enter – non-dwelling (down 5.8%)
  4. steal from dwelling (down 5.7%)
  5. steal from person (down 11.1%)
  6. fraud (down 8.5%)
  7. malicious damage to property (down 2.7%)

Greater Sydney Statistical Area

Despite the falls in crime just listed, some parts of the Greater Sydney Statistical Area exhibited upward trends in some categories of crime.

The most noteworthy of these were big increases in:

  • Sexual assault in the Inner South West (up 29.1%), Parramatta (up 25.1%) and Sutherland (up 56.5%);
  • Robbery in the South West (robbery without a weapon up 43.6%) and Blacktown (robbery with a non-firearm weapon up 56.6%); and
  • A big increase in motor vehicle theft in Ryde (up 43.7%)

Regional NSW

Regional NSW generally fared better than the Greater Sydney Statistical Area. Apart from increases in stealing from a retail store in a number of areas, the only statistical areas to show a significant increase in recorded crime were Newcastle and Lake Macquarie (Break and enter non-dwelling up 11%) and Murray (motor vehicle theft up 32%).

Other noteworthy trends

Possess/use of cocaine has increased significantly (up 41.2%). Sydney’s inner city and Eastern Suburbs are responsible for about 60% of the increase in cocaine possession and a similar proportion of detections.

The incidence of amphetamine possession had been steadily increasing since 2010. For the second consecutive quarter, however, we are reporting a significant downward trend for this offence (down 9.3% in this report).

Further Enquiries: Dr Don Weatherburn (02) 8346 1100
Copies of the report: www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au