A staggering 58,479 assaults.
A devastating 49,490 break-ins.
These are some of the shocking statistics emerging from the Australia Bureau of Statistics capturing crime victim numbers for 2023.
The police data shows that Queensland is the nation’s crime capital, with 289,657 residents becoming the victims of crime last year. That’s the highest in the nation and an increase of 13 per cent compared to the prior year.
Assaults, sexual assaults, kidnappings, blackmails, robberies, break-ins and thefts were all on the rise with the crimes mainly committed by juveniles offenders.
NSW came in at second place for the crime statistics, and has three million more residents. Yet 30,000 more Queenslanders experienced crime than those in NSW, which is very disproportionate, with it recording more assaults and break-ins than any other state.
Of the break-ins recorded, around 34,000 occurred at the victim’s home, of which more than half having items stolen.
There were an extra 151,501 victims of other thefts such as retail theft or theft from another person, up by 20 per cent. This was a record high since 1995, the Courier Mail reported.
Meanwhile, 18,201 vehicles were stolen, the highest in the state since 2000.
When it came to victims of assault, the numbers increased by more than 6000. These statistics have only been on record since 2022.
The state also recorded more than 100 victims of murder, attempted murder or manslaughter along with over 3000 robbery victims. Meanwhile, there were just nearly half the number of robberies in NSW at 885, and 79 homicide victims.
The numbers come as Queensland faces a youth crime crisis. A recent report published by the state’s auditor general found that 55 per cent of youth crime in Queensland between 2022-23 was committed by “serious repeat offenders”.
The average daily number of these kind of offenders had jumped 64 per cent from 278 in 2018-19 to 457 in 2022-23.
As a result of these figures, Queensland Premier Steven Miles’ government has unveiled a four-year youth justice strategy as part of its $1.2 billion community safety plan and a Victim’s Commissioner – the state’s first.
However, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said crime laws had to be strengthened to address rampant crime rates.
“These numbers prove Queensland’s crime crisis is no accident, it’s the result of the government deliberately watering down the laws and creating a generation of untouchables, whose crimes have terrorised our state,” he said.
“Queenslanders are living in fear of their homes being invaded, their cars stolen and their businesses destroyed by the youth criminals running riot through our communities.
“They can’t continue to be held hostage to the terror of this youth crime crisis or allow it to become the new normal, it must change or it will be paradise lost for Queensland.”
Victims of crime 2023
• Queensland – 289,657
• New South Wales – 259,171
• Victoria – 194,090
• Western Australia – 157,498
• South Australia – 90,397
• Tasmania – 20,034
• Northern Territory – 19,782
• Australian Capital Territory – 12,822