Sydney, NSW, 2000 Crime Rate and Statistics

Sydney Crime Statistics at a Glance

The chart below shows the 60-month trend of the number of offences that occurred in Sydney.

• The number of criminal incidents recorded by NSW Police in the year 2021 was 11008, up 14% from 9623 incidents recorded in the same period last year.

• Sydney is in the 2nd percentile for safety, meaning 98% of NSW suburbs are safer than Sydney and 2% of suburbs are more dangerous than Sydney.

• The number of assault offences recorded in 2021 decreased by 9% (69 Incidents) compared to the previous year..

• The number of sexual offences recorded in 2021 decreased by 6% (8 Incidents) compared to the previous year.

• There was no change in the number of homicide offences recorded during the years 2020 and 2021.

• The number of burglary offences recorded in 2021 increased by 4% (3 Incidents) compared to the previous year.

• The number of theft offences recorded in 2021 decreased by 18% (473 Incidents) compared to the previous year.

• The number of robbery offences recorded in 2021 decreased by 50% (18 Incidents) compared to the previous year.

• The number of motor vehicle thefts recorded in 2021 decreased by 16% (3 Incidents) compared to the previous year.

• The number of vandalism offences (Property damage) recorded in 2021 decreased by 11% (35 Incidents) compared to the previous year.

Crime in Sydney: An In-Depth Analysis

According to AU Crime Rate’s analysis of the latest crime statistics from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Sydney is ranked safer than 2% of the suburbs across Australia, regardless of population size. That means that Sydney crime rate is considerably higher than the average across most suburbs in Australia.

In NSW, only about 98% of suburbs have a lower crime rate than Sydney. As a result, Sydney has low scores in public safety metrics.

If you are a resident of Sydney, your chance of becoming a victim of crime is 1 in 4 (based on the total crime rate of crimes against the person and property combined) while the New South Wales average is 1 in 20.

Let’s take a closer look at Sydney’s crime statistics and see how it fares in terms of crimes against person and property crimes. This information is crucial because it can shed light on whether violent or property crimes or both, are the primary factors driving Sydney’s overall crime rate. So, are you curious to learn more about Sydney’s crime data and what they reveal about the suburb’s safety and security? Let’s dive in!

AU Crime Rate’s analysis reveals that against the person crime rate in Sydney is 7132 per one hundred thousand inhabitants while the NSW average rate is 1500. So, one’s chances of becoming a victim of crimes against the person in Sydney is 1 in 13. The crimes against the person included in this analysis are homicide, assault, sexual offences, robbery, abduction, kidnapping, stalking, blackmail, and extortion.

From our analysis, we discovered that your odds of becoming a victim of a property crime if you live in Sydney is 1 in 6. This is equal to a rate of 15027 per one hundred thousand residents compared to a rate of 3158 per 100,000 residents for NSW state. It’s worth mentioning that the property crimes tracked here include theft, burglary, arson, and malicious damage to property.

Looking to understand the various types of criminal offences in New South Wales and make sense of crime data? Check out our NSW crime glossary for easy-to-understand definitions of common criminal offences.

Sydney Crime Rates by Offences Division

Sydney Crimes Against the Person

My Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Crime Against the Person

Crimes Against the Person Comparison (Per 100,000 Residents)

Crimes Against the Person: Sydney vs NSW

Here is a breakdown of the major crimes against the person (violent crimes) including the number of offences and Sydney crime rates for the selected offences.

Sydney Property and Deception Offences

My Chances of Becoming a Victim of Property and Deception Offences

Property and Deception Offences Comparison (Per 100,000 Residents)

Property and Deception Offences: Sydney vs NSW, Australia

An overview of the major property and deception offences, including Sydney crime statistics for each offence type.

Drug Offences

Drug Offences Comparison (Per 100,000 Residents)

Drug Offences: Sydney vs New South Wales

Public Order and Security Offences

Public Order and Security Offences Comparison (Per 100,000 Residents)

Public Order and Security Offences: Sydney vs NSW

Sydney Crimes per Square KM

Sydney Crime FAQs

How many murders were in Sydney in 2021?

According to the New South Wales Police Force and BOSCAR data, there were 1 murders in Sydney in 2021. The number of homicides (which includes murders, attempted murder, murder conspiracy, and manslaughters) was 2.

What’s the most common crime in Sydney?

According to the latest available data from the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, the most common type of crime in Sydney is liquor offences.

What is the crime rate in Sydney?

The overall crime rate in Sydney, as measured by the number of reported offences per 100,000 population was 66086 in the year ending December 2021.

However, it’s important to note that this is an aggregate figure that includes all types of crime, and some types of offences are more prevalent than others. Additionally, crime rates can vary by location, with some areas experiencing higher rates of certain types of crime than others.

Is Sydney a safe place to live in?

NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) states that Sydney total crime rate in 2021 was 66086. This means it’s 2% safer than all NSW suburbs. So Sydney has a low safety profile according to our scoring systems.

Is Sydney safe at night?

40% of crimes in Sydney occur between 6 PM and 6 AM so, it’s fairly safe to walk alone in Sydney at night.

Total Crime Stats of Sydney

Note: The data for murder and manslaughter refers to the number of recorded victims, not criminal incidents.

References

• NSW Police public site
• NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR).
• Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census QuickStats for all persons