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Australian crime : facts and figures 2003

Crimes known to police

Violent crimes recorded by police, 1996-2002*
YearHomicide Assault Sexual assault Robbery
1996 350 114,156 14,542 16,372
1997 360 124,500 14,353 21,305
1998 332 130,903 14,336 23,801
1999 386 134,271 14,104 22,606
2000 363 138,708 15,759 23,336
2001 346 152,283 16,897 26,591
2002 363 159,548 17,850 20,961
*Data for 2000 and 2001 have been revised by the ABS.
Source:
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2003, Recorded crime : victims, Australia 2002, cat. no. 4510.0, ABS, Canberra.

What this table shows

  • Assault was the most commonly recorded violent crime in 2002, accounting for 80% of recorded violent crimes. Between 1996 and 2002, the number of assaults increased by 40%.
  • The number of robbery offences increased by 28% from 1996 to 2002, while the number of sexual assaults increased by 23%. The number of homicides has remained relatively stable over this period, peaking at 386 in 1999. The 2002 figure was 4% higher than the number in 1996.

References