• Summary
• Downloads
• Explanatory Notes
• Related Information
• Past Releases

ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION

This publication presents statistics relating to offenders who were proceeded against by police during the period 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013. Data were derived from administrative systems maintained by state and territory police. Data have been compiled according to national standards in order to maximise consistency between the states and territories. These statistics describe the characteristics of the offender, including the principal offence for which offenders are proceeded against. Data are also presented on the number of police-initiated court and non-court actions against offenders.

CHANGES IN THIS ISSUE

Offender rates in this publication have been calculated using final rebased Estimated Resident Population (ERP) data based on the 2011 Census of Population and Housing. Offender rates for the reference periods 2008-09 to 2011-12 have been recalculated and are on a consistent basis. Offender rates for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population are calculated using ERP data based on the 2006 Census of Population and Housing. These rates will be revised in the 2013-14 edition of this publication following the April 2014 release of the 2011 based ERP estimates and projections for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.

Data for the 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 reference years have been revised since the previous issue of this publication. The revisions are incorporated in the data cubes available in this publication. Note that the extent of revisions differed for individual states and territories and/or between data items. The revisions are as a result of an improvement in the methodology used to determine an offender's principal offence. It was decided to revise all previous reference periods in order to ensure consistency and comparability of the data between years. Readers are advised to use the year on year comparisons in the Downloads tab of this publication, rather than directly comparing these data to previous editions.

NATIONAL DATA

National data tables and commentary are included in this publication.

For the 2011-12 issue of this publication, data for offenders proceeded against under the NSW Young Offenders Act 1997 were not able to be provided to the ABS, and were not included in the data presented for New South Wales. This meant it was not possible to produce national data. In October 2013, however, an amendment to the Act was passed through NSW Parliament. The amendment allows data for offenders proceeded against under the NSW Young Offenders Act 1997 to be provided to the ABS. Data for these offenders have been included in this issue for the reference periods 2008-09 to 2012-13. As a consequence, NSW data are now on a consistent basis to the other states and territories, and national data was able to be produced.

ROUNDING

Discrepancies may occur between sums of component items and totals across tables due to rounding and randomisation.

INFORMATION ON ABS CRIME AND JUSTICE

More information about ABS activities in the field of crime and justice statistics is available from the Crime and Justice theme page on the ABS website. Details of other ABS publications relating to crime and justice statistics can be found in Related Information tab, for information of other non-ABS publications refer to paragraph 84 of the Explanatory Notes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The ABS acknowledges the valuable contribution of the Board of Management of the National Crime Statistics Unit (NCSU) and the staff of the various agencies that provide data that are presented in this publication.

INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.