Data about alleged offenders proceeded against by police, including demographic, most serious offence, and family and domestic violence information
In 2023–24:
Australia’s federal, state and territory governments put restrictions in place to slow the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) from March 2020 to February 2023. The restrictions, and associated penalties for breaching these restrictions, varied across the jurisdictions. This should be considered when interpreting the Recorded Crime – Offenders data for associated reference periods.
There were 340,681 offenders proceeded against by police across Australia in 2023–24. This was a 2% decrease (down 7,061 offenders) from the previous year to the lowest number recorded since the time series began in 2008–09.
Accounting for population change, the offender rate also decreased from 1,502 offenders in 2022–23 to 1,430 offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over in 2023–24, the lowest rate recorded in the time series.
The most common principal offences were:
Acts intended to cause injury and illicit drug offences have consistently been among the two most common offence types since 2012–13.
Acts intended to cause injury increased by 1,252 offenders (up 1%) from the previous year to the largest number since the time series began in 2008–09. However, accounting for population change, the offender rate decreased slightly from 393 offenders in 2022-23 to 387 offenders per 100,000 persons in 2023–24.
(a) Rate per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over
Public order offences decreased by 4,534 offenders (down 12%) to 32,307 in 2023–24. The offender rate for public order offenders also decreased to 136 offenders per 100,000 persons. This is the lowest number and rate since the time series began in 2008–09.
Illicit drug offences decreased by 4,102 offenders (down 8%) to 48,213 offenders in 2023–24. This is the lowest number recorded for this offence since the time series began in 2008–09.
Three-quarters of offenders (75%) proceeded against by police were male (254,425 offenders).
The male offender rate was around three times higher than the female offender rate with:
Acts intended to cause injury was the most common principal offence among male (27% or 68,196 offenders) and female offenders (28% or 23,968 offenders). Both male and female offenders reached the highest number recorded for this offence since the time series began in 2008–09.
The median age of offenders in Australia rose to 32 years in 2023–24, up from 31 years in 2022–23. Since the start of the time series in 2008–09 when it was 25 years, the median age of offenders has steadily increased.
The minimum age of criminal responsibility was raised from 10 years to 12 years in the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory during the 2023–24 reference period. Users are advised to use caution making comparisons to data from earlier reference periods.
In 2023–24, there were 46,798 offenders aged between 10 and 17 years proceeded against by police, a decrease of 3% (or 1,216 offenders) from 2022–23.
Accounting for population change, the youth offender rate also decreased from 1,847 to 1,764 offenders per 100,000 persons aged between 10 and 17 years.
Around a quarter (26%) of youth offenders were proceeded against for acts intended to cause injury – the most common principal offence among youth offenders (11,926 offenders).
The number of youth offenders with a principal offence of illicit drugs decreased by 17% to 2,791 offenders. This was the ninth consecutive annual decrease for this offence.
Accounting for population change, the youth offender rate for illicit drugs also decreased from 130 to 105 offenders per 100,000 persons aged between 10 and 17 years. This was the lowest recorded rate since the time series began in 2008–09.
(a) Rate per 100,000 persons aged between 10 and 17 years
Over two-thirds (69%) of youth offenders were male (32,125 offenders).
The male youth offender rate was around double the rate of female youth offenders, with:
Acts intended to cause injury was the most common principal offence for males (22% or 6,917 offenders) and females (34% or 4,971 offenders).
The most common age of youth offenders was 16 years (22% or 10,301 offenders).
(a) Offenders aged between 10 and 17 years. During 2023–24, both ACT and NT increased the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 years to 12 years.
In most states and territories, around a third (between 30% and 38%) of youth offenders were proceeded against by police more than once throughout 2023–24. In Victoria, 27% of youth offenders were proceeded against more than once (2,184 offenders) and in Tasmania, 42% were proceeded against more than once (421 offenders).
The mean number of times youth offenders were proceeded against by police was:
Data about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders is presented for selected states and territories. Based on an ABS assessment, the Indigenous status data item for other states is not of sufficient quality and/or does not meet ABS standards for national reporting in 2023–24.
Data on offenders proceeded against via penalty notices is excluded as there are a high proportion of unknown values for the Indigenous status data item for this proceeding type. Therefore, offender counts and rates presented in this publication do not include all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders proceeded against by police.
In New South Wales, offenders with a principal offence of fare evasion are excluded from 2022–23 onwards due to a high proportion of unknown values.
In 2023–24, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders proceeded against by police was:
The most common principal offence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders was acts intended to cause injury:
Most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders were male:
The median age for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders was:
The mean number of times Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders were proceeded against by police in 2023–24 was:
Due to quality and/or comparability issues, data is not presented for:
The total number of police proceedings recorded in 2023–24 were:
The number of police proceedings increased in Victoria (up less than 1% or 124 proceedings), Tasmania (up 6% or 813 proceedings), and the Australian Capital Territory (up 1% or 39 proceedings).
Police proceedings decreased in Northern Territory (down 14% or 1,959), South Australia (down 3% or 1,087), New South Wales (down 2% or 3,993 proceedings), and Queensland (down less than 1% or 727 proceedings).
The most common principal offences for police proceedings were:
The majority of police proceedings were court actions in all published states and territories:
The most common principal offences for court proceedings were:
The most common principal offences for non-court actions were:
Caution should be exercised when making comparisons across states and territories, as there are differences in definitions as well as other factors. See the methodology for more information.
There were 90,697 offenders proceeded against by police for at least one family and domestic violence (FDV) related offence in 2023–24, up 2,320 offenders (or 3%) from 2022–23. This was over a quarter (27%) of all offenders recorded nationally.
The offender rate was 381 FDV offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over.
Almost four in five (79%) FDV offenders were male (71,336 offenders).
The rate of FDV offending was around four times higher for males than for females, with:
The median age of FDV offenders was 35 years in 2023–24, higher than the median age for total offenders (32 years).
The most common age groups for FDV offenders were between:
The most common principal FDV offences were:
There were 47,285 offenders (52% of all FDV offenders) proceeded against by police for at least one breach of an FDV related violence or non-violence order in Australia in 2023–24, an increase of 3% from the previous year.
Of these:
Across the states and territories, the number of offenders proceeded against for at least one breach of an FDV related violence or non-violence order was:
There were 115,905 offenders proceeded against by police in New South Wales in 2023–24, a decrease of 2% from the previous year.
Accounting for population change, the overall offender rate in New South Wales also decreased from 1,627 offenders in 2022–23 to 1,556 offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over in 2023–24.
The most common principal offences in New South Wales were:
Three-quarters (76%) of offenders in New South Wales were male (87,479 offenders).
The male offender rate was more than three times the female offender rate with:
There were 18,185 offenders aged between 10 and 17 years proceeded against by police in 2023–24, a decrease of 1% (or 205 offenders) from the previous year. Youth offenders comprised 16% of total offenders in New South Wales in 2023–24.
The offender rate was higher among youth when compared with the total New South Wales population with:
The most common principal offences for youth offenders were:
There were 20,347 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders proceeded against by police during 2023–24.
More than half (55%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders had a principal offence of acts intended to cause injury (11,203 offenders).
In 2023–24 there were 204,366 police proceedings in New South Wales. Of these:
Over half (58%) of non-court actions were for fare evasion with 51,922 proceedings.
Over a third (38%) of court actions were for acts intended to cause injury with 43,483 proceedings.
There were 61,559 offenders proceeded against by police in Victoria in 2023–24, a decrease of 6% from the previous year.
Accounting for population change, the overall offender rate in Victoria decreased from 1,111 offenders in 2022–23 to 1,008 offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over in 2023–24.
The most common principal offences in Victoria were:
Just over three-quarters (78%) of offenders in Victoria were male (47,752 offenders).
The male offender rate was more than three times the female offender rate with:
There were 8,157 offenders aged between 10 and 17 years proceeded against by police in 2023–24, a decrease of 18 offenders from the previous year. Youth offenders comprised 13% of total offenders in Victoria in 2023–24.
The offender rate was higher among youth when compared with the total Victoria population with:
The most common principal offences for youth offenders were:
In 2023–24, there were 103,987 police proceedings in Victoria, an increase of less than 1% from 2022–23 (up 124 proceedings).
Most proceedings (76%) were court actions (79,481 proceedings). The most common principal offences with court actions were:
There were 80,316 offenders proceeded against by police in Queensland in 2023–24. This was a decrease of 3% from the previous year.
The offender rate decreased from 1,745 offenders in 2022–23 to 1,645 offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over in 2023–24.
The most common principal offences in Queensland were:
The offender rate for illicit drug offences decreased from 336 offenders in 2022–23 to 292 offenders per 100,000 persons in 2023–24.
Almost three-quarters (73%) of offenders in Queensland were male (58,626 offenders).
The male offender rate was nearly three times the female offender rate with:
There were 10,544 offenders aged between 10 and 17 years in Queensland in 2023–24, a decrease of 3% (334 offenders) from 2022–23. Youth offenders proceeded against by police comprised 13% of total offenders in Queensland in 2023–24.
Accounting for population change, the youth offender rate decreased from 1,925 offenders in 2022–23 to 1,828 offenders per 100,000 persons aged between 10 and 17 years in 2023–24.
The most common principal offences among youth offenders were:
For acts intended to cause injury, the number of offenders was the highest number in the time series. The rate of offenders was the highest rate since 2009–10 with 448 offenders per 100,000 persons aged between 10 and 17 years in 2023–24.
There were 16,929 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders proceeded against by police in Queensland in 2023–24. This was a decrease of 1% from the previous year (184 offenders).
Accounting for population change, the offender rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders decreased from 7,763 offenders in 2022–23 to 7,499 offenders per 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons aged 10 years and over in 2023–24, the seventh consecutive decrease.
The most common principal offence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders was acts intended to cause injury with 4,868 offenders (29%).
In 2023–24, there were 149,836 police proceedings in Queensland, a decrease of less than 1% from 2022–23 (down 727 proceedings).
Most proceedings (80%) were court actions (119,663 proceedings). The most common court actions were for offenders with a principal offence of:
There were 30,168 non-court actions in 2023–24. Almost a third (28%) of non-court actions were for public order offences (8,562 proceedings).
There were 24,745 offenders proceeded against by police in South Australia in 2023–24, a decrease of 4% from the previous year.
Accounting for population change, the overall offender rate in South Australia also decreased from 1,575 offenders in 2022–23 to 1,487 offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over in 2023–24.
The most common principal offences in South Australia were:
Just over three-quarters (76%) of offenders in South Australia were male (18,747 offenders).
The male offender rate was more than three times the female offender rate with:
There were 1,812 offenders aged between 10 and 17 years proceeded against by police in 2023–24, a decrease of 17% (or 382 offenders) from the previous year. Youth offenders comprised 7% of total offenders in South Australia in 2023–24.
The offender rate was lower among youth when compared with the total South Australian population with:
The most common principal offences for youth offenders were:
In 2023–24 South Australia had 37,617 police proceedings, a decrease of 3% from 2022–23 (down 1,087 proceedings).
Most proceedings (64%) were court actions (24,162 proceedings). The most common principal offences for court actions were:
There were 39,289 offenders proceeded against by police in Western Australia in 2023–24, an increase of 7% from the previous year. This was the highest number of offenders recorded in Western Australia since 2018–19.
Accounting for population change, the offender rate also increased from 1,479 offenders in 2022–23 to 1,527 offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over in 2023–24. This was the second increase following five consecutive annual decreases in the offender rate in Western Australia.
Around a quarter (26%) of offenders in Western Australia had a principal offence of acts intended to cause injury, which reached the highest number recorded in the time series (10,098 offenders).
The next most common principal offences were:
Illicit drug offences decreased to the lowest number of offenders in the 16-year time series.
Almost three-quarters (72%) of offenders in Western Australia were male (28,103 offenders).
The male offender rate was over two and a half times the female offender rate with:
There were 5,956 offenders aged between 10 and 17 years in 2023–24, a decrease from the previous year of 5% (down 322 offenders). Youth offenders comprised 15% of total offenders in Western Australia.
Accounting for population change, the youth offender rate decreased to the lowest recorded in the 16-year time series. However, it remained higher than the total offender rate:
The most common principal offences for youth offenders in Western Australia were:
Youth offenders had higher rates for these offences compared with the total Western Australian offender population:
There were 7,625 offenders proceeded against by police in Tasmania in 2023–24, an increase of 3% from the previous year.
Accounting for population change, the overall offender rate in Tasmania also increased from 1,444 offenders in 2022–23 to 1,482 offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over in 2023–24.
The most common principal offences in Tasmania were:
Just under three-quarters (73%) of offenders in Tasmania were male (5,563 offenders).
The male offender rate was almost three times the female offender rate with:
There were 1,012 offenders aged between 10 and 17 years proceeded against by police in 2023–24 – the same number as the previous year. Youth offenders comprised 13% of total offenders in Tasmania in 2023–24.
The offender rate was higher among Tasmanian youth when compared with the total Tasmanian population with:
The most common principal offences for youth offenders were:
In 2023–24 Tasmania had 13,884 police proceedings, an increase of 6% from 2022–23 (up 813 proceedings).
Most proceedings (82%) were court actions (11,325 proceedings). The most common principal offences for court actions were:
In 2023–24, there were 8,692 offenders proceeded against by police in the Northern Territory.
The offender rate was 3,954 offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over in 2023–24.
The most common principal offences in the Northern Territory were:
Nearly three-quarters (71%) of offenders in the Northern Territory were male (6,174 offenders).
The female offender rate was over double the rate of male offenders, with:
As of 1 August 2023, the minimum age of criminal responsibility in the Northern Territory was raised from 10 years to 12 years. Offenders aged 10 and 11 years proceeded against in July 2023, before this change came into effect, are included in the 2023–24 reference period data. Users are advised to use caution making comparisons to data from earlier reference periods.
There were 787 offenders aged between 10 and 17 years in the Northern Territory in 2023–24. Youth offenders comprised 9% of total offenders proceeded against in the Northern Territory.
The most common principal offences for youth offenders were:
There were 4,725 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders proceeded against by police in the Northern Territory in 2023–24. The offender rate was 7,353 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders per 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons aged 10 years and over.
Half (50%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders had a principal offence of acts intended to cause injury (2,352 offenders).
In 2023–24, there were 11,632 police proceedings in the Northern Territory.
The most common principal offences were:
There were 2,543 offenders proceeded against by police in the Australian Capital Territory in 2023–24, a decrease of 2% from the previous year.
The offender rate decreased to 612 offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over.
The most common principal offence in the Australian Capital Territory was acts intended to cause injury with 919 offenders (36%).
For sexual assault and related offences, the number of offenders has reached the highest in the time series, with 135 offenders. The rate of offenders was also at the highest, with 33 offenders per 100,000 persons.
The majority (78%) of all offenders in the Australian Capital Territory were male (1,981 offenders).
The male offender rate was over three and a half times the female offender rate with:
As of 22 November 2023, the minimum age of criminal responsibility in the Australian Capital Territory was raised from 10 years to 12 years. Users are advised to use caution making comparisons to data from earlier reference periods.
There were 344 offenders aged between 10 and 17 years in 2023–24, comprising 14% of total offenders in the Australian Capital Territory. The number of youth offenders increased by 12 offenders from the previous year.
The offending rate for youth offenders was higher than the rate for all offenders in the Australian Capital Territory with:
The most common principal offence for youth offenders was acts intended to cause injury, accounting for 42% of all youth offenders (145 offenders).
There were 384 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders in the Australian Capital Territory in 2023–24, down 28 offenders from the previous year.
More than two-fifths (43%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders had a principal offence of acts intended to cause injury (164 offenders).
There were 3,603 police proceedings in the Australian Capital Territory in 2023–24. The majority (83%) were court actions (2,984 proceedings).
Acts intended to cause injury was the most common offence proceeded against in 2023–24 (29% or 1,047 proceedings).
List of data items by data cube and table.
National data by principal offence, sex and age.
Data by state/territory, principal offence, sex, age and number of times proceeded against.
National and state/territory data for offenders aged between 10 and 17 years including principal offence and sex.
Data by Indigenous status, principal offence, sex, age and number of times proceeded against for NSW, Qld, SA, NT & ACT.
Data by principal offence (all states/territories except WA) and method of proceeding data for NSW, Vic., QLD, Tas. and ACT.
National and state/territory data by principal offence, sex, age, times proceeded against, Indigenous status and method of proceeding.
All Recorded Crime – Offenders, 2023–24 download files.
This release previously used catalogue number 4519.0.
Alleged offenders who have been proceeded against by police during the reference period. Criminal offences where police agencies have the authority to take legal action against an individual are included, with some exclusions.
Data available for:
Administrative records created and maintained by the state and territory police agencies.
Administrative data collected annually from state and territory police agencies.
Classifications used to compile the data:
Not applicable for this release.