Key figures: Year ending 31 December 2017

CSA FACT SHEET: RECORDED CRIME STATISTICS - YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2017

Embargo: 9:00AM Thursday 15 March 2018

State wide figures

  • The number of criminal incidents recorded by police in the year to 31 December 2017 was 380,066. This is down 9.6% from 420,219 incidents recorded in the same period last year.

  • The number of offences recorded by police in the year to 31 December 2017 was 504,070. This is down 8.6% from 551,662 offences recorded in the same period last year.

  • Offender incidents increased to 174,443, up 1.0% from 172,632 in the year to December 2016.

  • Victim reports decreased in the year to 31 December 2017 by 11.7% to 298,971 victim reports.

  • Family incidents decreased in the year to 31 December 2017, down 4.5% from 78,624 to 75,061. 

 

Local Government Area level figures

The five Local Government Areas with the highest criminal incident rates were: Criminal Incidents

Criminal Incidents

  1. Melbourne (18,280.7 incidents per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 12.0%)

  2. Latrobe (12,596.0 incidents per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 10.8%)

  3. Yarra (11,134.6 incidents per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 10.1%)

  4. Greater Shepparton (9,241.3 incidents per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 7.1%)

  5. Mildura (8,981.0 incidents per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 6.0%) 

 

The five Local Government Areas with the highest recorded offence rates were:

Recorded Offences 

  1. Melbourne (25,125.0 offences per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 9.7%)

  2. Latrobe (18,084.5 offences per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 7.6%)

  3. Yarra (13,988.5 offences per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 8.9%)

  4. Greater Shepparton (12,516.5 offences per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 5.1%)

  5. Mildura (12,097.0 offences per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 1.0%)

 

Crime Category trends 

From January 2016 to December 2017, the major offence categoires that showed significant upwards trends were:

Criminal Incidents

  • Sexual offences (up 15.9% from 7,142 to 8,279)

 

Recorded Offences

  • No offence categories showed a significant trend 

 

From January 2016 to December 2017, the following offence subdivisions showed a significant downward trend:

 

Criminal Incidents

  • Abduction and related offences (down 12.1% from 464 to 408
  • Arson (down 19.6% from 3,629 to 2,919)
  • Burglary/Break and enter (down 15.3% from 52,045 to 44,062)
  • Theft (down 16.6% from 156,965 to 130,923)
  • Drug dealing and trafficking (down 12.6% from 3,122 to 2,729)
  • Justice procedures (down 18.0% from 9,011 to 7,392)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recorded Offences

  • Stalking, harassment and threatening behaviour (down 6.0% from 12,454 to 11,701)
  • Arson (down 25.5% from 4,161 to 3,101)
  • Property damage (down 5.8% from 43,847 to 41,324)
  • Burglary/Break and enter (down 15.4% from 54,757 to 46,311)
  • Theft (down 14.2% from 191,689 to 164,432)
  • Drug dealing and trafficking (down 17.2% from 4,999 to 4,138)
  • Cultivate or manufacture drugs (down 11.7% from 1,613 to 1,424)
  • Weapons explosive offences (down 8.1% from 16,022 to 14,720)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For explanatory information and definitions for the latest release, see the explanatory notes (External link) and glossary.