Townsville · 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.
A much higher crime rate than most similar areas marks Townsville, where recorded offences have jumped 45.7% over the last five years. With 22,155 offences per 100,000 people, the city faces significant safety challenges. Theft and drug offences are the most common crimes here.
All council (lga) areas, 2021. The marker is Townsville — higher than 87% of areas.
The overall recorded-offence rate and its five-year trend.
The total number of recorded offences per 100,000 people is 22,155, which is much higher than most areas. This reflects a sharp five-year increase in the crime rate, a trend that is much higher than most other regions.
22,155
Higher than 87% 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.
45.7%
Higher than 88% 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.
Townsville sees very high rates of crime across the board, with theft and drug offences both among the highest at this level. Rates for assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, and sexual offences are all much higher than most areas.
2,800
Higher than 86% 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.
418
Higher than 83% 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.
71
Higher than 88% 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.
1,703
Higher than 91% 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.
3,598
Higher than 94% 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.
689
Higher than 81% 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.
1,404
Higher than 82% 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.
3,002
Higher than 92% 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 Townsville [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA37010/townsville/topic/crime-safety
