OVERVIEW

This chapter presents information for each state and territory about the characteristics of offenders aged 10 years and over who were proceeded against by police during the period 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014. Characteristics of the offender include sex and age, as well as the principal offence for which an offender was proceeded against by police.

Certain offences are excluded from the Recorded Crime - Offenders collection. For further information about the scope and counting methodology of the collection refer to paragraphs 3-16 of the Explanatory Notes.

In this collection, national statistical standards and counting rules have been applied to facilitate comparisons of states and territories. However, some legislative and processing differences remain. For differences in legislation, processes or polices between states, refer to paragraphs 48-69 of the Explanatory Notes.

The number of offenders increased between 2012-13 and 2013-14 in:

• Queensland (by 8,234 offenders, or 9%);
• South Australia (by 4,660 offenders, or 10%);
• New South Wales (by 4,488 offenders, or 4%);
• Northern Territory (by 2,093 offenders, or 19%);
• Western Australia (by 621 offenders, or 2%); and
• Australian Capital Territory (by 47 offenders, or 2%).

Over the same period, the number of offenders decreased in:

• Victoria (by 4,589 offenders, or 5%); and
• Tasmania (by 1,035 offenders, or 9%).

The highest offender rate was recorded in the Northern Territory, at 6,358 offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over. In comparison, the national offender rate was 1,997 offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over.

The largest decrease in the offender rate between 2012-13 and 2013-14 was recorded in Tasmania (237 fewer offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over), while Northern Territory reported the greatest increase (859 more offenders per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over). (Tables 6 and 7)