National Emergency Magazine Vol. 4 2014

Australian Crime
Facts and Figures
While the volume and rate
of individual crime types has
fluctuated over the past few
years, overall, crime in Australia
has been decreasing. Australian
Crime: Facts & Figures uses
information compiled from a
broad range of sources to create
an accurate and holistic picture
of crime and criminal justice
issues in Australia. Within this
volume are the patterns and
trends relating to specific crimes,
victims, offenders, the location of
criminal acts and the operation
and cost of the criminal justice
system (including the police,
courts and prisons). The purpose
of this publication is to provide
government and justice agencies,
the media and the Australian
public with accurate, easy to
access crime statistics in a single,
centralised location.
Property crime
• Property crime continued to
be reported at a much higher
volume than violent crime in
2012. While there were statistically
small changes in ‘other’ theft
and unlawful entry with intent,
following a small increase
This publication utilises data
from both administrative and
survey-based collections
Foreword
in motor vehicle theft in 2011, the
six percent increase in the number
of victims of motor vehicle theft
in 2012 (from 55,310 in 2011 to
58,574 in 2012) is the greatest
percentage increase on record for
the last 10 years.
Financial crime
• Overall, while fraud committed
on credit and charge cards
decreased by 17 percent between
2011 and 2012—a decrease of
16.78 cents per $1,000 transacted,
these types of fraud have generally
increased since 2006, increasing
from 37.93 cents per $1,000
transacted in 2006 to 79.26 cents
per $1,000 transacted in 2012.
• Scams aim to defraud an
individual through deception.
The Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission monitors
the level of scam activity. The
top 10 scams reported to the
Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission in 2012
involved:
– advance fee/upfront payment;
– computer hacking (including
malware and viruses);
– lottery and sweepstakes;
– banking and online account
(including phishing and identity
theft); – online auction and
shopping (including classifieds);
– unexpected prizes;
– job and employment (including
business opportunity);
– false billing;
– dating and romance (including
adult services); and
– mobile phone (including
ringtones, competitions and
missed calls).
• The proportion of reported
scams involving advance fee/
upfront payment scams decreased
by five percentage points between
2011 and 2012, while computer
hacking decreased by 10
percentage points.
• Conversely, the proportion
of scams involving lottery and
sweepstakes, banking and online
accounts, online auction and
shopping, and unexpected prizes
increased between 2011 and 2012.
Drugs
• The number of amphetamine
arrests peaked in 2011–12 at
16,828, a 30 percent increase on
the previous year and consistent
with an overall increase in use
since 1996–97.
iv Australian crime: Facts &
figures 2013
• Cannabis has accounted for the
highest volume of drug arrests
since 1996–97. In 2011–12, there
were 61,011 drug arrests involving
cannabis, a 12 percent decrease
on that recorded in 1996–97.
However, since 2007–08, the
number of cannabis- related
arrests has been increasing by
approximately three percent per
year.
• The number of cocaine arrests
peaked in 2009–10 at 1,244.
The 2011–12 figure (n=995)
represented a 19 percent increase
on the previous year, but is still
20 percentage points below the
2009–10 peak in arrests.
• Between 1998–99 and 2001–02,
the number of heroin-related drug
arrests decreased from 14,341 to
3,259—a total percentage decrease
of 77 percent. In 2011–12, there
were 2,714 heroin-related arrests.