4510.0 - Recorded Crime - Victims, Australia, 2012 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 13/06/2013   
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MEDIA RELEASE
13 June 2013
Embargo: 11.30 am (Canberra time)
106/2013

Motor vehicle theft continues to rise

Motor vehicle theft increased by six per cent between 2011 and 2012, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures released today.

ABS Director of the National Centre for Crime and Justice Statistics, Brad Petry, said today’s publication revealed that there were 58,574 motor vehicle thefts recorded by police in the 2012 calendar year.

“Today’s figures show that motor vehicle theft has increased by seven per cent since 2010, with most motor vehicles stolen from either a residential location or on a street or footpath.” Mr Petry said.

"Our data also showed that robberies continued to decrease. Total robberies were down four per cent to 13,155 during 2012, following a seven per cent drop the previous year."

Armed robberies increased by four per cent in 2012. A weapon was used in 47 per cent of robbery incidents, with a knife being the most common weapon used in robberies.

"In 2012 there were 18,153 victims of sexual assault. Our data showed the majority of these were female. Females aged 15–19 recorded the highest victimisation rate for sexual assault, at a rate of more than four times the overall female rate of victimisation for sexual assault," Mr Petry said.

Males were more likely to be victims of homicide and related offences, robbery and blackmail/extortion.

Further information can be found in Recorded Crime Victims, Australia (cat. no. 4510.0) available for free download from the ABS website (www.abs.gov.au).

Media notes:

  • When reporting ABS data you must attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or ABS) as the source.
  • This publication presents national crime statistics relating to victims of a selected range of personal and property offences that have been recorded by police during 2012. The 2012 publication marks the third year in a new time series following a break in series for the collection in the 2010 publication; therefore comparisons should not be made to data published prior to the 2010 publication.
  • A victim for the purpose of this publication is defined by the type of offence committed, this can be a person, a premise, an organisation or a motor vehicle. While the definition includes non-person victims, victimisation rates are only presented for person victims.