Central Highlands · 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.
Much higher crime rates than most similar areas mark the Central Highlands, where recorded offences have surged by 76.9% over five years. This represents one of the highest increases at this level, with 14,862 offences recorded per 100,000 people.
All council (lga) areas, 2021. The marker is Central Highlands — higher than 81% of areas.
The overall recorded-offence rate and its five-year trend.
Crime in the Central Highlands has risen sharply, with the recent five-year increase being among the highest for areas of this size. Drug offences (13.8%) and theft (13.6%) are the most common crimes recorded here.
14,862
Higher than 81% 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.
76.9%
Higher than 96% 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.
Many offence rates are much higher than most areas, especially for drugs, theft, and sexual offences. While burglary and property damage are also higher than usual, robbery is lower than in most other places.
1,469
Higher than 73% 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.
528
Higher than 88% 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.
14
Lower than 71% 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.
740
Higher than 73% 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.
2,023
Higher than 75% 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.
327
Lower than 53% 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.
1,024
Higher than 72% 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.
2,051
Higher than 88% 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 Central Highlands [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA32270/central-highlands/topic/crime-safety
