Australian Institue of Criminology

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Violent crime in Australia: interpreting the trends 1996

Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 61

David Indermaur
ISBN 0 642 24025 6 ISSN 0817-8542
Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, October 1996

Abstract

Public opinion polls show that fear of crime among Australians is increasing and it is generally believed that the level of violent crime is also increasing. Indermaur considers whether these assumptions are correct and describes what is known about trends in violent crime, using homicide data as a gauge. He provides insights on the analysis and interpretation of crime statistics, and identifies important underlying factors such as changes in the demographic profile of Australian society.