Newcastle · Council (LGA)
Recorded crime in the area — the overall offence rate per 100,000 residents, the mix of offence types, and how it is changing. Sourced from state and territory police data; offence definitions differ by state, so comparisons across state lines are indicative only.
High rates of reported offences mark daily life in Newcastle, where the crime rate is much higher than most similar areas. There were 12,859 recorded offences per 100,000 people, although the five-year increase of 11.7% is around the middle for areas of this size.
All council (lga) areas, 2021. The marker is Newcastle — higher than 75% of areas.
The overall recorded-offence rate and its five-year trend.
Theft is the most common crime at 13.4%, followed by motor vehicle theft at 11.2% and assaults at 10.3%. Other frequent offences include property damage at 7.9% and burglary at 6.0%.
12,859
Higher than 75% of council (lga) areas.
Total recorded criminal offences per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). The per-capita rate is the meaningful map metric — raw counts just track population. Offence definitions and counting rules differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
11.7%
Higher than 56% of council (lga) areas.
Change in the recorded-offence rate over the latest five years — positive means crime is rising, negative means it is falling. Computed from each region's annual series.
Rates for assault, sexual offences, robbery, burglary, theft, drugs and more.
Motor vehicle theft is among the highest for this level of area, while burglary and sexual offences are much higher than most areas. Rates for theft, assault, drug offences, and property damage are also higher than most places.
1,326
Higher than 68% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded assault & related per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
360
Higher than 74% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded sexual offences per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
49
Higher than 80% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded robbery per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
778
Higher than 74% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded burglary (unlawful entry) per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
1,724
Higher than 67% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded theft per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
1,441
Higher than 99% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded motor vehicle theft per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
1,017
Higher than 71% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded property damage per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
638
Higher than 61% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded drug offences per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Crime & Safety in Newcastle [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA15900/newcastle/topic/crime-safety
