NSW’s most dangerous and safest suburbs of 2023 ranked
Eye-opening crime data has revealed NSW’s most dangerous hot spots for serious crime with some suburbs recording more than 3000 offences in the space of just one year. Explore the list:
Local
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Eye-opening crime data has revealed the worst hot spots in NSW with some suburbs recording more than 3000 serious offences in the space of just one year.
Inner Sydney suburbs and regional NSW towns have recorded the highest number of serious offences per head of population in NSW, with Bourke and the Sydney CBD emerging as the worst locations for offences.
Latest figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics show more than 192,000 serious offences were recorded in the state in the 12 month period to June 2023 including 72 homicides and more than 66,000 assaults.
Over the same period, the remote NSW town of Bourke recorded 622 offences from a population of just 2389 people.
The Sydney CBD postcode had the second highest rate of offending – recording almost 3000 serious offences – including more than 1200 non-domestic assaults.
The Bureau of Crime Statistics, in a statement, said nine of the 13 major crime categories in NSW have shown “a significant upward trend” over the last two years.
They include robbery, which is up 26.6 per cent, non-domestic violence assaults, which is up 16.2 per cent, and steal from retail store, up 47.7 per cent per year.
However, some categories have recorded significant declines including murder which has recorded a 9.9 per cent decline over the last two years.
NewsLocal this week breaks down the data to look at the city’s postcodes with the highest – and lowest – number of recorded major crime incidents per head of population.
The figures incorporate the major crimes categories of homicide, assault, break and enters, sexual offences, robbery, stealing offences, motor vehicle theft, arson, abduction and malicious damage.
MOST DANGEROUS – GREATER SYDNEY
SYDNEY
Sydney’s CBD topped the list of city suburbs with the highest serious crime rate, with 2905 incidents recorded in a postcode home to 27,936 residents. Non-domestic assaults accounted for the highest number of serious offences in the suburb (1220) followed by malicious damage (571) and domestic assaults (284). The postcode also had 273 sexual assaults, 56 robberies and six arson offences recorded.
REDFERN
The nearby suburb of Redfern recorded 756 offences over the period including 132 non-domestic assaults and 125 domestic assaults. The postcode, which captures 13,072 people, also clocked up 117 steal from dwelling offences, 202 malicious damage offences and 24 motor vehicle thefts.
SURRY HILLS
Surry Hills recorded 1414 offences over the 12 month period including 443 non-domestic assaults. The inner Sydney postcode also had 295 malicious damage offences, 166 steal from dwelling offences and 152 domestic assaults.
MOUNT DRUITT
Home to 61,494 people, Mount Druitt had western Sydney’s highest crime rate with 3021 serious offences recorded over the 12 month period. The suburb recorded Sydney’s highest number of domestic assaults with 743 incidents over the 12 month period. The suburb also had the highest overall number of break and enter incidents (257). Other offences recorded in the suburb included 815 malicious damage offences, one homicide and 34 arson offences.
GLEBE
The Glebe postcode recorded 746 offences including 175 malicious damage offences and 132 non-domestic assaults. The postcode of 16,641 people also had 109 steal from dwelling offences, six arson offences, and 74 break and enters.
PARRAMATTA
Parramatta clocked up 1524 serious offences including 374 non-domestic related assaults. The suburb also recorded 294 malicious damage offences, 167 steal from dwelling offences, 175 domestic assaults, and 140 break and enters.
PENRITH
The Penrith postcode recorded 1972 offences over the 12 month period including 531 malicious damage offences – the third highest figure in greater Sydney behind the CBD and Mount Druitt. Other offences recorded in the postcode included 380 non domestic assaults, 286 domestic assaults, 146 steal from dwelling offences and 189 home break and enters.
KINGS CROSS
Famous for its bustling night-life, the inner city Kings Cross postcode clocked up 723 offences including 247 non-domestic assaults. The postcode of 18,187 people also recorded 173 malicious damage offences, 68 steal from dwelling offences, and 66 sexual offences.
VILLAWOOD
The western Sydney suburb of Villawood recorded 406 serious offences including 119 domestic assaults, and 65 malicious damage offences. Other crimes in the suburb included three abduction offences, 34 motor vehicle thefts, and 27 steal from dwelling offences.
MACQUARIE FIELDS
The fast-growing suburb of Macquarie Fields rounded out the top 10 Sydney postcodes with 538 offences recorded. The number of crimes in the suburb, which has a population of 14,198, included 138 malicious damage offences, 121 domestic assaults, 87 non-domestic assaults, and 42 break and enters.
OTHER HOTSPOTS
The list of greater Sydney postcodes rounding out the top 20 were Katoomba, St Marys, Ultimo, Blacktown, Waterloo, Newtown, Camperdown, Granville, Pyrmont and Doonside.
MOST DANGEROUS – REGIONAL NSW
The outback town of Bourke recorded the state’s highest crime rate based on population with 622 serious offences including 148 domestic assaults, 135 malicious damage offences, 138 break and enters, 27 arson offences and 24 sexual offences.
Boggabilla, north of Moree, ranked second with 254 serious incidents recorded in a postcode home to 1072 people. The number of serious crimes in the postcode included 45 malicious damage offences and 35 domestic assaults.
Wilcannia was next on the list with 196 serious offences, followed by Newcastle West with 256 serious offences in a postcode of 1411 residents.
Suburbs rounding out the top 10 were Moree, Coonamble, Walgett, Lighting Ridge, Warren, and Hamilton North.
Other regional centres with high numbers of offences as a rate of population included Dubbo (3332 offences / 44,963 residents), Kempsey (1697 offences / 23,166 population), Newcastle (855 offences / 12,058 residents), and Broken Hill (1276 offences / 18,097 population)
SAFEST SUBURBS
The crime statistics have revealed safe havens can be found across NSW including Cherrybrook which recorded Sydney’s lowest serious crime rate with 72 serious offences in a postcode home to 19,082 people.
Other safe spots identified in the statistics included Beecroft (50 serious offences in a population of 12,458), Lindfield (67 serious offences in a population of 14,648), Avalon Beach (79 serious offencesin a population of 15,422) and West Pennant Hills (89 serious offences in a population of 16,620).
Rounding out the list of Sydney’s safest suburbs were Belrose, Fairlight, St Ives, Oyster Bay, Turramurra, Wahroonga, Pymble, The Ponds, Epping, Killara, Berowra Heights, Forestville, Bayview, Voyager Point and Newport.
In regional NSW, the postcodes with the lowest crime rates included Pambula on the south coast (25 serious offences in a population of 4101), followed by Baldry near Orange, Wallendbeen near Temora, Gerringong, Millthorpe, Bungendore, Tumbulgum and Bangalow.
‘Nastiest personal attack’: Poster storm strikes by-election campaign
Allegations of dirty tricks and nastiness have added spice to what was once a polite political stoush between independent and Liberal candidates in one of Saturday’s state by-elections.
Gunman gets eight years over Australia Day shooting
He may have been the victim of a bullet once himself, but Darcy Morgan still decided to shoot a man in the arm over a small drug debt. The decision has cost him a significant stint without his liberty.