Adelaide’s most dangerous suburbs exposed: Search where your area ranks for crime
How safe is your neighbourhood? Analysis of police figures reveals the most crime-ridden areas of Adelaide. Search the list to see where every suburb ranks.
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Adelaide’s lowest socio-economic suburbs have become more dangerous, while their wealthier counterparts are recording fewer violent crimes, data analysis shows.
Crimes on people were up by more than a quarter in Gawler, Elizabeth South, Dry Creek and Regency Park in 2023-24 compared with the year before, with significant rises also in Smithfield and Salisbury.
The southern suburbs shopping and services precinct of Noarlunga Centre emerged as the state’s most dangerous suburb, according to analysis of the most recent annual South Australia Police crime statistics.
The Advertiser’s analysis compares the number of “against the person” crimes committed in South Australian suburbs by their population.
Those crimes range from blackmail to assault and murder. Suburbs with a population of under 100 were not included.
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The suburb also contains Colonnades Shopping Centre, the Noarlunga Hospital, a bus interchange and a train station.
Talking to locals at the bus interchange, one said the crime did not really occur inside the shopping centre but to its north where there is also a tavern, needle exchange, Centrelink and health services.
Outside the community health centre Melinda Szabo, 37, said she often “does not feel safe” on the block but living in the surrounding suburbs, it was where she had to go.
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A man who spoke on the condition of anonymity said he had seen violence first-hand near the centre.
“Just the other day a group of teenagers kicked another guy until he lay on the ground,” he said.
“Thump after thump. Every time he tried to get up they would kick him in the head again.”
Margaret Dixon, who manages Heart & Soul – a charity grocery store inside the centre – said she had been physically attacked twice.
When asked about the high number of assaults per head, an SA Police spokesperson said suburbs that attract people because they are shopping and service hubs were experiencing a spike in crime as the southern suburbs grow.
“People from various areas frequent Colonnades, not just local residents,” they said.
“The southern region includes several new population growth areas, and like Marion and other shopping centres, people travel from a wider area to utilise the services offered.
“Therefore, it is not accurate to assume that the per capita rate of assaults is disproportionately high.”
The 151 on-person crimes committed in Noarlunga Centre compares with 161 in Oaklands Park which has a population of 4088 and the state’s biggest shopping centre Westfield Shopping Centre.
Modbury, with 5381 residents and the Tea Tree Plaza shopping centre, recorded 168.
University of South Australia criminologist Professor Rick Sarre said suburbs with higher crime rates usually had similar socio-economic profiles.
“It is consistently the case that the suburbs and towns where crimes such as assaults and drug use are more likely to occur are those where socio-economic hardship is more evident; where unemployment is more common, and where consistently positive educational outcomes are rare,” he said.
Across metropolitan Adelaide, Elizabeth ranked the second most dangerous suburb, recording 285 on-person crimes, rising from 275 the year before.
An assault was recorded every 36 hours in the suburb of 1047 people, including 23 serious assaults causing injury, 123 serious assaults not resulting in injury and 94 common assaults.
Port Adelaide with a population of 1276 recorded the third highest crime rate with a spike of more than 50 per cent in on-person offending.
Affluent suburbs saw a decrease including Flagstaff Hill, where on-person crimes halved while Burnside, Glenelg North and Henley Beach significantly reduced between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years.
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