4509.1 - Crime and Safety, New South Wales, Apr 2006  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/11/2006   
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GLOSSARY

Assault

An incident, other than a robbery, where the respondent was physically attacked or threatened with force or violence.

Attempted break and enter

An incident where an attempt was made to break into the respondent's home, garage or shed.

Break and enter

An incident where the respondent's home was broken into. The respondent's home was also defined to include their garage or shed. Break and enter offences relating to their car or garden were excluded.

Crime or public nuisance problems

Anything perceived by the respondent to be a problem arising from crime or people creating a public nuisance.

Family member

Includes Partner, Parent, Sibling, Child of victim, Other family member, Ex-partner and Family member (not further specified).

Friend

Includes Girlfriend/boyfriend, Ex-girlfriend/ex-boyfriend, Other friend and Other known person (not further specified).

Household

A group of persons resident in a private dwelling who share common facilities and meals and who consider themselves to be a household. It is possible for a dwelling to contain more than one household, for example, where regular provision is made for groups to take meals separately and where persons consider their households to be separate.

Household crime

Specifically, a break and enter, attempted break and enter or motor vehicle theft, in which a household is considered to be the victim of the crime.

Incident

A single occurrence of a crime event, such as a break and enter, an attempted break and enter, the theft of a motor vehicle, or an act of robbery, assault or sexual assault.

Motor vehicle theft

An incident where a motor vehicle was stolen from any member of the household. It includes privately owned motor vehicles as well as business/company vehicles used exclusively by any members of the household. A motor vehicle includes cars, motorbikes and trucks. Caravans, trailers and floats were excluded.

Neighbourhood

The definition of this term was left to the interpretation of the respondent.

Offence

A crime committed against either a person or a household.

Personal crime

Specifically, a robbery, assault or sexual assault, in which an individual is considered to be the victim of the crime.

Robbery

An incident where someone stole (or tried to steal) property from the respondent by physically attacking them or threatening them with force or violence.

Sexual assault

An incident of a sexual nature involving physical contact, including rape, attempted rape, indecent assault, and assault with the intent to sexually assault. Sexual harassment (that did not lead to an sexual assault) was excluded. Only females aged 18 years and over were specifically asked questions about sexual assault in a separate questionnaire.

Victim

A household or person reporting at least one of the offences surveyed. Victims were counted once only for each type of offence, regardless of the number of incidents of that type.

Victimisation rate

The total number of victims of an offence in a given population expressed as a percentage of that population.