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Crime and Justice
Crimes recorded by police

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From January 1999 the classificatory basis of offences has changed for recorded crime statistics from the Australian National Classification of Offences (ANCO) to the Australian Standard Offence Classification (ASOC). This new offence classification has led to significant improvements in the comparability of crime statistics on both the State and national level.

In 1999 the number of victims recorded by police decreased from the previous year for all the offence categories except murder, assault, kidnapping/abduction and other theft (not including motor vehicle theft) (table 11.14). Nationally, offences against property (unlawful entry with intent, motor vehicle theft and other theft) were far more common than offences against the person (murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, assault, sexual assault and kidnapping/abduction).


Personal crime

Assault is the most common category of offences recorded against the person. Table 11.14 shows that police recorded 133,602 victims of assault during 1999, representing a victimisation rate of 705 victims per 100,000 persons. There were 14,074 cases of sexual assault recorded, a rate of 74 victims per 100,000 persons, and 342 victims of murder, a rate of 1.8 victims per 100,000 persons. The increase in murder victims from 1998 was due, in part, to the Snowtown incident in South Australia as well as two incidents of murder/suicide in Western Australia. Males had higher recorded assault rates than females across all age groups and were more likely to be victims of murder, attempted murder and robbery (both armed and unarmed). Females had higher recorded sexual assault rates than males across all age groups, with one in five female victims aged 15-19 years. The overall victimisation rate for females from sexual assault was more than four times the victimisation rate of male sexual assault victims. Females were also more likely to be victims of kidnapping/abduction than males.

Nationally, victimisation rates were generally highest for the 15-19 year age group (table 11.15). This age group had the highest victimisation rates for driving causing death, sexual assault, kidnapping/abduction and robbery. Victims aged 20-24 years had the highest victimisation rates for attempted murder, manslaughter and assault, while victims aged 25–34 years had the highest victimisation rates for murder and blackmail/extortion.


Property crime

In 1999 there were 415,600 offences recorded nationally by police relating to unlawful entry with intent-the unlawful entry of a structure with the intent to commit an offence (including theft, property damage and any offence against an individual). Of these offences, 322,913 (78%) involved unlawful entry resulting in the taking of property. The remaining 92,687 offences (22%) were recorded as unlawful entry with intent, but not resulting in the taking of property.

A total of 129,865 motor vehicles were recorded stolen in Australia during 1999. This represents a decrease of 1.3% compared with motor vehicle theft in 1998. A total of 610,276 other theft offences, the largest category of all property offences, were recorded in 1999, an increase of 8.3% from 1998.


11.14 SELECTED OFFENCES RECORDED BY POLICE, Number and Rate
Offence category
1997(a)
1998(a)
1999
NUMBER
Homicide
-Murder
321
285
342
-Attempted murder
318
387
358
-Manslaughter
39
47
39
-Driving causing death(b)
n.a.
276
206
Assault
124,500
130,903
133,602
Sexual assault
14,353
14,336
14,074
Kidnapping/abduction
562
705
763
Robbery
- Armed robbery
9,054
10,850
9,439
- Unarmed robbery
12,251
12,951
13,151
- Blackmail/extortion
360
272
256
Unlawful entry with intent
- Involving the taking of property
332,525
339,512
322,913
- Other
89,044
94,864
92,687
- Total
421,569
434,376
415,600
Motor vehicle theft
130,138
131,587
129,865
Other Theft
530,881
563,482
610,276
RATE PER 100,000 POPULATION
Homicide
-Murder
1.73
1.52
1.80
-Attempted murder
1.72
2.07
1.89
-Manslaughter
0.21
0.25
0.21
-Driving causing death(b)
n.a.
1.47
1.09
Assault
672.21
699.00
704.52
Sexual assault
77.50
76.55
74.22
Kidnapping/abduction
3.03
3.76
4.02
Robbery
- Armed robbery
48.89
57.94
49.77
- Unarmed robbery
66.15
69.15
69.35
- Blackmail/extortion
1.94
1.45
1.35
Unlawful entry with intent
- Involving the taking of property
1,795.39
1,812.94
1,702.80
- Other
480.77
506.56
488.76
- Total
2,276.17
2,319.49
2,191.57
Motor vehicle theft
702.65
702.65
684.81
Other theft
2,866.37
3,008.90
3,218.14
(a) Revised on the basis of the new Australian Standard Classification of Offences (ASOC).
(b) Complete counts and rate details for the offence Driving causing death are not available for 1997.

Source: Recorded Crime, Australia (4510.0).


11.15 VICTIMISATION RATES(a) OF SELECTED CRIMES(b), By Age Group (Years) of Victim - 1999
Offence category
0-9
10-14
15-19
20-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
Total
MALES
Murder
1.50
0.15
1.32
3.74
4.56
2.88
2.11
2.13
1.18
2.34
Attempted murder
0.52
0.30
2.19
5.62
6.49
4.31
1.72
1.18
0.78
2.78
Manslaughter
0.37
0.15
0.58
0.86
0.48
0.14
-
0.12
-
0.28
Driving causing death
0.22
0.30
3.95
2.74
1.73
1.37
0.94
0.95
1.18
1.38
Assault
121.30
701.23
1,639.47
1,648.36
1,444.33
902.16
537.29
302.04
111.93
807.47
Sexual assault
58.22
72.53
55.40
27.50
20.52
8.01
3.37
1.54
0.88
25.44
Kidnapping/abduction
5.24
6.23
8.48
5.04
2.14
0.96
0.47
0.24
0.10
2.84
Robbery(c)
3.37
137.49
475.25
286.41
142.46
91.33
64.98
51.72
29.63
120.91
Blackmail/extortion(c)
-
0.15
2.63
1.58
3.11
1.44
2.43
1.54
0.69
1.64
FEMALES
Murder
1.50
-
0.92
2.10
1.39
2.05
0.88
0.48
1.15
1.26
Attempted murder
0.63
0.16
0.92
1.80
1.52
1.77
0.32
0.84
0.31
0.99
Manslaughter
0.24
0.31
0.31
0.15
0.07
-
-
0.12
0.15
0.13
Driving causing death
0.63
0.47
1.85
1.65
0.97
0.41
0.56
0.60
0.69
0.79
Assault
76.73
420.70
1,213.27
1,261.21
1,059.12
658.20
320.18
139.20
49.06
547.85
Sexual assault
146.21
354.86
408.07
191.79
116.36
58.25
26.12
9.40
5.91
118.97
Kidnapping/abduction
5.28
12.30
20.00
11.26
5.96
2.25
0.96
0.36
0.38
5.18
Robbery(c)
1.03
22.88
123.87
126.51
86.37
67.46
67.13
57.97
46.68
64.22
Blackmail/extortion(c)
-
-
0.46
1.35
1.25
0.95
0.64
0.36
0.38
0.65
PERSONS
Murder
1.50
0.08
1.12
2.94
2.97
2.46
1.50
1.31
1.16
1.80
Attempted murder
0.58
0.23
1.57
3.75
4.01
3.04
1.03
1.02
0.52
1.89