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.
The study, “Trends in police legal action rates 2009-2023”, examines the rate of legal action taken by police across 11 categories of offences over 15 years.
“For almost every offence we have seen large increases in the rate at which legal actions are initiated,” BOCSAR Executive Director Jackie Fitzgerald said.
“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 2023 compared with 2009.”
Property offences showed the largest increases in legal action rates.
The legal action rate for the offence of “Malicious damage to property” increased 14 percentage points from 12 percent in 2009 to 26 percent in 2023.
The “Break and enter non-dwelling” legal action rate is up 13 percentage points from six percent in 2009 to 19 percent in 2023.
The legal action rate for several violent offences also increased significantly over the past 15 years.
For the offence of “Robbery”, the legal action rate increased from 20 percent in 2009 to 40 percent in 2023, while the rate for “Domestic violence-related assault” is up from 60 percent in 2009 to 67 percent in 2023),
Sexual assault was the only offence with a significant decline in the legal action rate, dropping from 10 percent in 2009 to seven percent in 2023.
The legal action rate for murder was stable.
“It should be of comfort to victims and the community that the risk of apprehension for people who engage in crime is undoubtedly higher than ever before,” said Ms Fitzgerald.
“The increased risk of being caught may also have contributed to the large decline in property crime over the past 15 years by deterring offending.”
Police Minister Yasmin Catley thanked NSW Police officers for their “incredible work… day in and day out”.
“Police are bringing more people to court than we’ve seen in a long time – a clear sign that their hard work is making a difference,” she said.
“Police don’t just catch offenders – they put in the tough, behind-the-scenes work to make sure those people are held accountable, a process that is often complex, relentless, and doesn’t always get the credit it deserves.
“I want to give a genuine thank you to every officer out there giving their all to keep our community safe.”
