2023 List: Sydney and regional NSW’s most dangerous and safest suburbs ranked
An investigation into the state’s most dangerous suburbs has exposed the murder capital of the city. Here are the crime rates by postcode, which also reveals the safest areas.
Central Sydney
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New data has revealed which NSW suburbs are the most dangerous to live in as residents navigate a post-Covid environment rife with fraud offences, home invasions and car thefts.
Latest figures form the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics has revealed more than 200,000 serious offences were recorded in the state in 2022 including 81 homicides and more than 60,000 assaults.
The figures show there were 33,410 recorded domestic violence assaults, 30,667 non-domestic assaults, 18,709 home break and enters, 12,274 car thefts and 7764 sexual assaults.
The two crime categories which recorded large increases on the previous 12 months were car thefts – up 17 per cent on 2021 – and retail theft – up 23.7 per cent.
BOCSAR, in a statement, attributed the increase to large declines during 2020 and 2021, coinciding with the pandemic.
“The rate of offending for many crimes was interrupted by the pandemic (and) crime volumes for both offences are now starting to return to pre-pandemic levels,” BOCSAR stated.
Suburb-specific data shows postcodes in regional NSW accounted for the majority of the state’s highest rates of serious crime based on population.
The outback town of Bourke topped the list with 716 serious offences recorded in a postcode with a population of just 2389 people.
In the greater Sydney region, the CBD had the highest per capita number of serious offences.
Vincent Hurley – a former NSW Police officer of 28 years who now works as a lecturer at Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University – said inner city suburbs could be attractive to people who want to participate in crime for several reasons.
He said the higher rates of crime in areas such as Kings Cross and Newtown could also be linked to a relaxation of restrictions for licenced hospitality venues aimed at boosting Sydney’s post-Covid night time economy.
“The state government has poured a lot of money into the night time economy since the Covid restrictions were lifted to the point where they’ve appointed a commissioner for the night time economy,” he said.
“Where there were lockdowns there’s now a push to reinvigorate the city at night, 4am licences are being issued, and there’s a special entertainment precinct in Newtown that has given venues exemptions on their licensing conditions that didn’t exist before Covid.
“It’s lifted the capacity of small bars and hotels and encouraged more punters to come out together and could account for the increase in assaults in the inner city.”
Another crime category on the rise is retail theft with the CBD and Bondi Junction postcodes recording Sydney’s highest rates of recorded incidents.
“Retail theft went down because of Covid, social distancing made it more difficult for people to shoplift and there was Jobkeeper and Jobseeker which provided a safety net for people,” Mr Hurley said.
“All of a sudden that federal government money has stopped and now with relaxation of social distancing and being allowed to go out and people have now found themselves in a situation where they have got used to excess cash over time and are now trying to fill that void.
“Compounding that is the cost of living, food insecurity and cost of increased mortgages, the cost of rents are going up and so is the temptation to shoplift for individuals vulnerable to hardship.”
NSW Police detective inspector Andrew Barnes, crime manager at Central North Police District, said police have measures to address crime rates in the region.
“The Central North Police District which includes the Bourke postcode conduct regular proactive patrols and operations to target anti-social behaviour and property related crime across the district,” he said.
Below is a breakdown of the postcodes with the highest rates of serious crime in 2022 using the most recent data from BOCSAR.
The serious offences used to formulate the data included: theft from person, theft from motor vehicle, theft from dwelling, motor vehicle theft, break and enters, sexual offences, robbery, malicious damage, homicide, domestic violence related assault and non-domestic violence related assault.
MOST DANGEROUS – GREATER SYDNEY
SYDNEY CBD
Our CBD is also home to the highest crime rate in Sydney. The 2000 postcode, which includes the surrounding suburbs of Haymarket, The Rocks, Barangaroo, Millers Point, Dawes Point, recorded 1559 assaults in 2022 – up 45 per cent on the previous year – along with 260 sexual assaults, and 608 incidents of malicious damage to property. The postcode had the overall highest number of assaults, robberies and sexual offences for any postcode in NSW last year.
REDFERN
Nearby Redfern was another inner city crime hotspot with the 2016 postcode recording 816 serious incidents based on a population of 13,072 people. The crime statistics show the most prevalent serious crimes were assaults (259), thefts from home (119), and incidents of malicious damage to property (179).
SURRY HILLS
High rates of assault and theft were recorded in Surry Hills in 2022. The trendy suburb clocked up 1556 serious incidents for a population of 26,443. Across the 12 month period there were 583 recorded assaults, 103 sexual offences, and 148 thefts from motor vehicles. The suburb’s assault rate of 1847.5 per 100,000 people was the third highest for any postcode in the greater Sydney region.
MOUNT DRUITT
The Mount Druitt postcode recorded 3402 serious offences in an area home to 61,494 residents. The postcode was one of six postcodes that had the highest number of homicides in NSW last year with three homicides recorded. The suburb also had the state’s highest number of recorded incidents of malicious damage to property with 866 incidents in 2022. The postcode also takes in suburbs including Emerton and Lethbridge Park.
CLAYMORE
The growing suburb of Claymore clocked up 164 serious offences based on its population of just 2991 people in 2022. Malicious damage to property accounted for 50 of the recorded offences. There were also 49 assaults and 19 break and enters from homes.
PARRAMATTA
Next on the list is Parramatta, with the suburb recording 1740 serious incidents in 2022. The figures show a growing area of crime was non-domestic assaults – increased 33 per cent on the previous 12 month period. Overall there were 600 assaults, 166 break and enter incidents from homes and 26 robberies. The postcode has a resident population of 35,254 people.
PENRITH
Large numbers of thefts and assaults accounted for a bulk of the 2302 major crime incidents in Penrith in 2022. The western Sydney postcode – which also incorporates Emu Plains, Jamisontown, Leonay and Emu Heights – recorded 702 assaults last year, 535 malicious damage incidents, and 323 thefts from motor vehicles. There were also 166 sexual offences and 166 home break ins.
GLEBE
Assaults accounted for more than a quarter of the 739 serious offences recorded in Glebe in 2022. The postcode, which also takes in Forest Lodge, had 739 assaults in 2022, 109 thefts from homes, 60 sexual offences and 58 break and enters from homes.
KINGS CROSS
The night-life hotspot of Kings Cross and surrounding suburbs recorded 777 serious offences in 2022 including 359 assaults – the ninth highest number for any postcode in Sydney. There were also 160 malicious damage incidents, 78 thefts from homes, and 62 sexual offences. The 2011 postcode also includes Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, Woolloomooloo and Rushcutters Bay.
ST MARYS
Rounding out the top 10 was St Marys with its postcode clocking up 1551 serious offences in 2022. There were 187 thefts from motor vehicles, 106 home break and enters, 95 sexual offences and 551 assaults. The 2760 postcode has a population of 37,632 and incorporates Colyton, Ropes Crossing, North Saint Marys and Oxley Park.
ALSO RANKED
The list of Sydney postcodes rounding out the top 20 were Villawood, Blacktown, Newtown, Granville, Macquarie Fields, Ultimo, Pyrmont, Kingswood, Bondi Junction and Waterloo.
MOST DANGEROUS – REGIONAL NSW
The outback town of Bourke recorded the state’s highest crime rate based on population with 716 serious offences including 207 assaults, 175 malicious damage offences, 64 home break and enters, and 21 sexual offences.
The Newcastle West postcode of 2302 ranked second with 305 serious incidents recorded. Assaults accounted for more than one-third of the incidents with 109 recorded in the twelve month period. The postcode has a population of 1411 people.
Other regional NSW postcodes with high rates of serious crime based on population included Brewarrina in northwest NSW, ranking third, followed by Goodooga, Dareton, Boggabilla, Wilcannia, Moree, Coonamble, Walgett, Collarenebri and Lightning Ridge.
Other major regional postcodes with higher rates of crime included the central Newcastle postcode of 2300 (population 12,058) with 1014 serious offences, Dubbo (population 44,963) with 3648 offences and Broken Hill (18,097 population) with 1215 offences.
SAFEST SUBURBS
BEROWRA HEIGHTS
Berowra Heights was a Sydney safe haven – recording just 24 serious offences in 2022. The most prevalent serious crimes in the postcode were malicious damage (11), assault (four) and stealing from dwelling (three). The postcode – which also incorporates Berowra Waters – has a population of 5458 people.
BEECROFT
Beecroft was another northern Sydney safe suburb – recording 57 serious offences from a postcode with a population of 12,458. Malicious damage and assaults accounted for the most number of serious crimes (12 each) over the 12 month period.
CHERRYBROOK
The fast growing Cherrybrook postcode – home to 19,082 people – recorded 98 serious offences last year. The figure includes 29 assaults, 14 sexual offences and nine thefts from motor vehicles.
WEST PENNANT HILLS
West Pennant Hills was next on the list with 95 serious offences in a postcode home to 16,620 people. Assaults were the most prevalent series crime with 27 offences followed by home break and enters (26).
FAIRLIGHT
Residents in Fairlight can also sleep easy with the northern beaches postcode recording 38 serious offences last year. Thefts accounted for the bulk of the incidents including theft from motor vehicles (10 incidents recorded) and thefts from homes (also 10 incidents).
WAHROONGA
The upper north shore suburb of Wahroonga had 160 serious offences last year. The postcode of 25,340 people had 27 sexual offences recorded, 15 home breaks in and four cars stolen over the 12 month period.
ST IVES
Nearby St Ives also ranked low for crime with 137 serious offences recorded in 2022. The most common was assault (40), followed by thefts from motor vehicles (20). The 2075 postcode has a population of 21,665.
AVALON BEACH
The Avalon Beach postcode of 2017 was another safe haven with 100 serious offences over the 12 month period including six thefts from homes, nine car thefts and 15 assaults.
Glenhaven had the lowest crime rate in Sydney’s northwest, recording 88 serious offences in 2022. The postcode – which has a population of 13,403 – had 23 assaults, 13 sexual offences and six motor vehicle thefts.
ALSO RANKED
Rounding out the list of suburbs with low rates of crimes were Belrose, Pymble, Bayview, Lindfield, Forestville, Voyager Point, Turramurra and Frenchs Forest.
REGIONAL NSW
In regional NSW, postcodes with lower rates of serious crime were led by Millthorpe near Orange, Corrowong in the Snowy Monaro region, Bundanoon in the Southern Highlands, Berridale in the snowfields and Kurrajong.
Pambula, south of Merimbula, also ranked low followed by Bangalow, Gerringong, Milton and Bungendore.
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