BURGLARIES, CAR THEFTS SURGE THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA

Thu 27 March 2025:

Home break-ins and motor vehicle theft have increased in Australia over the past year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Wednesday.

The proportion of households affected by break-ins rose from 1.8 percent in 2022-23 to 2.1 percent in 2023-24, an increase of 32,000 households, bringing the total to 218,000, said ABS head of crime statistics, William Milne.

Three-quarters of these incidents were reported to police, and 21 percent of affected households experienced multiple break-ins, Milne said.

Motor vehicle theft also climbed, rising from 0.5 percent in 2022-23 to 0.7 percent in 2023-24, Milne said, adding an estimated 72,000 vehicles were stolen in 2023-24, up by 17,000 from the previous year.

About 54 percent of these thefts occurred at residential locations, while 32 percent took place on the street, he said.

Other household crimes, such as attempted break-ins, theft from vehicles, malicious property damage, and general theft, remained stable, the ABS said, adding personal crime rates, including assault, sexual assault, and robbery, also showed no significant change.

The findings come from the Crime Victimization Survey, which examines household and personal crime trends, victim demographics, and reporting rates, it said.

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