A NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) report has shown a drop in robbery offences – a statistic the Bureau says is being driven by a fall in youth offending.
BOCSAR Acting Executive Director, Jackie Fitzgerald said there had been a 55 per cent decrease in burglary proceedings against 15 to 17-year-olds between 2009 and 2018.
Ms Fitzgerald said there was also a 44 per cent reduction in car theft, a 40 per cent reduction in robbery offences and a 48 per cent reduction in serious non-domestic assault for the same age group.
“Despite the large reductions in offending, young people are still more likely to be involved in stealing and non-domestic assault than any other age group,” Ms Fitzgerald said.
“It has always been the case that a proportion of young people go through a period of risk-taking on their way to adulthood,” she said.
“What we are seeing is that young people today are far less likely to become involved in crime than their predecessors 10 years ago.”
Ms Fitzgerald said the trends were apparent in both Greater Sydney and NSW regional areas.
The 11-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
