Crime figures show Queensland is now officially the crime capital of Australia

New data breaks down Queensland crime, exposing the true extent of the crisis and the extreme threat everyday Queenslanders face in their own homes. THESE ARE THE NUMBERS

• Political fallout: Premier slams LNP pledge

Queensland is Australia’s crime capital, with nearly 300,000 residents falling victim to crime last year and more people being assaulted or had their homes broken into than in any other state.

A total 289,657 Queenslanders were victims of crime in 2023, the highest in the nation and an increase of 13 per cent compared to the previous year.

New national police data from the Australia Bureau of Statistics capturing crime victim numbers for 2023, revealed Queensland also recorded the highest number of victims in robbery, break-ins and vehicle theft – crimes mostly committed by juvenile offenders.

Nearly 50,000 break-ins were recorded in the state, with more than 34,000 occurring at a victim’s home.

More than half of break-in victims had property stolen.

There were a further 151,501 victims of other theft, including retail theft or theft from another person – an increase of 20 per cent, or an extra 25,107 victims.

This was the highest recorded number of victims of other theft since 1995.

Meanwhile, vehicle theft hit levels not seen in more than two decades, with more than 18,000 motor vehicles stolen.

In comparison, NSW, home to 8.4 million people compared to Queensland’s 5.5 million, recorded just 11,673 vehicle thefts, while Victoria recorded 15,957.

The data also shows more than 58,000 Queenslanders were assaulted, meaning that for every 100,000 residents, 1071 were victims of assault last year.

The numbers come after the Queensland Auditor-General released a damning report into the state government’s handling of the youth crime crisis, noting the government had failed to capture data that showed the effectiveness of various youth crime initiatives in reducing reoffending.

The government on Friday released a new youth justice strategy as part of its $1.2bn community safety plan, with Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer emphasising that since October repeat offending had decreased 14 per cent.

Queensland Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer launched the Safer Queensland 2024-2028 Youth Justice Strategy on Friday. Picture: NewsWire / Glenn Campbell

But Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said crime laws had to be strengthened to address rampant crime rates.

“These numbers prove Queensland’s crime crisis is no accident, it’s the result of the government deliberately watering down the laws and creating a generation of untouchables, whose crimes have terrorised our state,” he said. “Queenslanders are living in fear of their homes being invaded, their cars stolen and their businesses destroyed by the youth criminals running riot through our communities.

“They can’t continue to be held hostage to the terror of this youth crime crisis or allow it to become the new normal, it must change or it will be paradise lost for Queensland.”

Speaking on Sunday, Mr Crisafulli said he would put targets in place that reduced victim numbers year on year.

“There will be less victims under an LNP government and I’m determined to make sure that we will have the first reduction in victim numbers that this state has seen in a decade,” he said.

“That’s important to me ahead of the election, we’ll be setting targets and I want Queenslanders to know that those targets will be met and they will count for something. “They will involve targets in terms of police attraction and retention and a focus to drive down victim numbers.”

Mr Crisafulli said one minister will be responsible for youth justice and there will be no bouncing around between departments and ministers.

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli said crime laws had to be strengthened. Picture: Liam Kidston

A government spokesman said Premier Steven Miles was committed to making sure Queenslanders felt and were safe, including by investing in Victims Assist, increasing victim payments to $120,000 and appointing a Victims’ Commissioner.

“We know that one victim of crime is one too many as the consequences can be far reaching,” he said.

“It’s why supporting our victims is one of the five pillars of our community safety plan and an ongoing priority. We are also investing in our police, so they have the tools to keep our community safe.”

The spokesman noted that since Mr Miles became Premier, police numbers had increased by 269 officers, with the government also establishing a Sexual Violence Review Board.

There were more than 100 victims of murder, attempted murder or manslaughter and more than 3000 robbery victims – 1600 of those faced an armed assailant.

Numbers of homicide and robbery victims in Queensland also outstripped all other jurisdictions, however robbery data was not taken from the Northern Territory.

NSW recorded just 79 homicide victims and Victoria 88 compared to Queensland’s 111, with just 885 armed robberies in NSW – nearly half the number that occurred in Queensland.

In Queensland, there were 8442 victims of sexual assault, an increase of 14 per cent, with the victimisation rate also increasing from 140 to 155 victims per 100,000 persons.

Of those assault victims, 85 per cent were female and 66 per cent knew the offender.

Distressingly, more than half of victims were under 18 years of age.

Senior Labor Minister Meaghan Scanlon today said the government was working hard to turn the cycle of crime around.

“There’s been some improvements as of late,” she said.

“We have a really comprehensive safety plan that’s backed in by additional investment that’s been released by our new premier and our new police commissioner that’s really focused on making sure that we intervene early, we prevent crime from occurring and we make sure offenders are held to account.”

Ms Scanlon said they were committed to implementing evidence-based reform and more support to the frontline

Acting Assistant Commissioner for youth crime Colin Briggs said police were seeing some improvement in the amount of crime in 2024 thanks to various proactive policing operations and initiatives.

“Any time we see offences committed against members of our community, of course it’s of concern to the police,” he said.

“And that’s why we continue to undertake these strategies, undertake these operations to make sure we are taking every opportunity to have extra police on the ground.

“We’re looking at our crime hot spots and we’re putting police into those places that need it most … to drive that crime down.

“And we’re seeing that starting to turn around.

“We’re seeing some good results in the first period here up until May.

“What I would say to members of the public is we really acknowledge the concerns that they have and that’s why we are undertaking the operations and initiatives that we are.”