4519.0 - Recorded Crime - Offenders, 2012-13 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/02/2014   
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RECORDED CRIME - OFFENDERS, 2012-13 - NEW SOUTH WALES

TOTAL OFFENDERS

    • In 2012-13, there were 116,056 offenders in New South Wales, which represented an increase of 6% (or 6,674 offenders) from 2011-12.
    • The (crude) offender rate increased by 5% from 1,727 in 2011-12 to 1,810 offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over in 2012-13.

SEX

Between 2011-12 and 2012-13:
    • The number of male offenders increased by 7% (or 5,937 offenders) to 91,503; and
    • The number of female offenders increased by 3% (or 702 offenders) to 24,376.

AGE

Between 2011-12 and 2012-13:
    • The median age of offenders remained stable at 26 years; and
    • The number of youth offenders decreased by 2% (or 565 offenders) from 31,300 to 30,735.

AGE STANDARDISED OFFENDER RATES
    • In 2012-13, the age standardised offender rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was 5,515 offenders per 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons aged 10 years and over.
    • The age standardised offender rate for non-Indigenous people was 1,043 offenders per 100,000 non-Indigenous persons aged 10 years and over.

PRINCIPAL OFFENCE

In 2012-13, the five most common principal offences in New South Wales were:
    • Acts intended to cause injury (23%, or 26,842 offenders);
    • Theft (21%, or 24,126 offenders);
    • Public order offences (14%, or 16,058 offenders);
    • Illicit drug offences (13%, or 14,466 offenders); and
    • Miscellaneous offences (10%, or 11,000 offenders).
REPEAT OFFENDERS

24% of offenders were proceeded against on two or more separate occasions within the year.

POLICE PROCEEDINGS

In 2012-13, the total number of police proceedings increased by 8% (or 13,419 proceedings) from 2011-12.

Court actions increased by 5% (or 3,780 proceedings):
    • Acts intended to cause injury was the most common offence proceeded against by court actions, accounting for 35% of all court actions (or 29,776 proceedings).
Non-court actions increased by 12% (or 9,639 proceedings):
    • Theft was the most common offence proceeded against by non-court actions, accounting for 39% of all non-court actions (or 35,502 proceedings).

OTHER KEY POINTS

In 2012-13, New South Wales had:
    • The highest proportion of offenders with a principal offence of Theft (21%, or 24,126 offenders);
    • The second highest proportion of youth offenders (26% or 30,735 offenders) after the Australian Capital Territory (29%, or 870 offenders); and
    • The second highest proportion of male offenders (78.8% or 91,503 offenders) after Victoria (79.0%, or 69,250 offenders).

For further information, refer to the other chapters of this publication, or contact the National Information Referral Service on 1300 135 070. When reporting ABS statistics, please attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or ABS) as the source.