Media Release: Property and Deception offence increases drive key crime measures up

The Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) released the Victorian recorded crime statistics for the year ending 30 June 2023 today.

The rate of recorded offences increased, up 5.7% to 7,494.4 per 100,000 Victorians in the last 12 months, while the number of offences increased 7.9% to 506,408. All offence categories increased in the last 12 months, except for the category that captured Breach of Chief Health Officer offences. Property and deception offences had the largest increase in the last 12 months, up by 36,767 or 15.6% to 272,790. This remains below the record peak of 319,951 offences in 2016 and below pre-COVID numbers of 303,910.

In the 12 months to 30 June 2023, the number of criminal incidents increased, up 9.3% or 31,742 to 371,961 incidents. The rate also increased, up 7.1% to 5,504.7 per 100,000 Victorians.

Alleged offender incidents increased 9.8% to 167,394 in the last 12 months, as did the rate up 7.3% to 2,807.3 per 100,000. The majority of the age groups increased in the last 12 months, the only age groups to decrease were 18-19 years and 20-24 years. The number of unique alleged offenders increased 1.8% to 80,734 offenders in the year ending June 2023.

The victimisation rate increased by 9.0% to 3,185.4 reports per 100,000 Victorians. The number of person-related victim reports was up 11.3% to 215,245 and organisation reports was up 23.2% to 77,466. Property and deception offences drove the increase, for both Organisation and Person victim reports. In the last 12 months number of unique person victims increased 11.9% (19,497 victims) to 183,541, with organisation victims increasing 17.4% to 40,628. Victimisation rates remain below pre-COVID levels.

Family incidents increased by 2.8% in the last 12 months, with 93,115 incidents recorded across Victoria. The rate of family incidents remained stable at 0.8% or 1,378.0 incidents per 100,000 Victorians.

CSA Chief Statistician Fiona Dowsley said that “increases in acquisitive offence types, particularly theft offences, are a major contributor to the upward trends observed in recorded crime measures in the last 12 months.”

“Despite an increase in theft offence types across all recorded crime measures these numbers remain below pre-pandemic peaks recorded in 2020” Ms Dowsley said.

More detailed information is available on the latest crime data webpage.

For further information please contact: 
Crime Statistics Agency 
Email: info@crimestatistics.vic.gov.au (External link)