Date: 23 April 2025
Source: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research

The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) has released a new report examining the proportion of recorded crimes that result in an offender being charged by NSW Police. Changes in legal actions are considered over the 15 years from 2009 to 2023.

BOCSAR Executive Director, Jackie Fitzgerald, says “for almost every offence we have seen large increases in the rate at which legal actions are initiated. This means police are solving a higher proportion of crimes than ever before. Of the 11 offences examined, nine showed a significantly higher legal action rate in in 2023 compared with 2009”.

Key findings:

• Property offences showed the largest increases in legal action rates:
• Malicious damage to property (up 14 percentage points from 12% in 2009 to 26% in 2023),
• Break and enter non-dwelling (up 13 percentage points from 6% in 2009 to 19% in 2023),
• Break and enter dwelling (up 8 percentage points from 5% in 2009 to 13% in 2023),

Motor vehicle theft (up 8 percentage points from 5% in 2009 to...