4510.0 - Recorded Crime, Australia, 2000  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 30/05/2001   
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MEDIA RELEASE

May 30, 2001
Embargoed 11:30am (AEST)
59/2001

Increase in the number of victims of crime - ABS

The number of victims of crime recorded by police in Australia increased in most offence categories between 1999 and 2000, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The main exceptions to these increases were for victims of murder (12 percent decrease) and kidnapping/abduction (10 percent decrease).

Other findings in Recorded Crime, Australia 2000 include:
  • The proportion of murders that involved the use of a weapon decreased from 69 percent in 1993 to 59 percent in 2000. In almost two-thirds (63 percent) of murders the offender was known to the victim.
  • The number of assault victims increased by 5 percent, from 134,271 victims in 1999 to 141,124 victims in 2000. Males aged 15-24 years were most likely to be victims of assault. Females were almost twice as likely as males to be assaulted by someone known to them.
  • The number of sexual assault victims increased for the first time in four years, to 15,630 victims (82 victims per 100,000 persons). Over three in five victims were aged 19 years or younger. For both male and female victims, approximately one quarter of all offenders were family members.
  • The number of victims of all property offence categories included in Recorded Crime, Australia 2000 increased between 1999 and 2000. Theft (other than motor vehicle theft) increased by 10 percent, motor vehicle theft increased by 7 percent and unlawful entry with intent increased by 5 percent.
  • The number of victims of robbery offences involving a firearm decreased to an eight-year low of 1,328 victims, representing 6 percent of all robbery victims. Two in three victims of robbery were male, with the largest robbery victimisation rate recorded for males aged 15-19 years (548 victims per 100,000 persons).

Further details, including key State/Territory indicators, are in Recorded Crime, Australia 2000 (cat. no. 4510.0) available from ABS Bookshops.

Please note: Statistics presented in Recorded Crime, Australia 2000 may be different to those published by individual police services, owing to variations in definitions and counting rules.