Along with a range of other factors, the area you live in can have a significant impact on the cost of your home and contents insurance premiums. Insurers use crime rates in their methodology for determining the likelihood of you making a claim. Thus, if you live in an area with high rates of home burglaries and theft, you can expect that to add to the cost of your annual home and contents insurance bill.
Based on the available crime statistics in each state, listed below are the reported top hotspots for home theft, burglary or break-ins in each state. While these statistics can help give an idea of where the threat of a home burglary is higher, take them with a pinch of salt. Rates of crime can wildly fluctuate, particularly in regions with small populations. Also, particular suburbs and streets within these hotspots can be significantly safer than others.
Since some crimes are reported differently between states, only areas within the same state can be compared against each other for home theft rates. For instance, in QLD the “unlawful dwelling entry with intent” rate was used whereas in Victoria the “burglary/break and enter” rate was cited.
Home Burglary Hotspots in:
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Using the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research’s online Crime Mapping Tool, the below burglary hotspots were identified for both the Greater Sydney area and the rest of NSW.
Top 10 Burglary Hotspots – Greater Sydney
| Rank | Local Government Area | Incidents Of Theft (Break & Enter Dwelling Rate Per 100,000 Population) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strathfield | 554.9 |
| 2 | Campbelltown | 540.6 |
| 3 | Holroyd | 530.0 |
| 4 | Penrith | 528.0 |
| 5 | Parramatta | 522.0 |
| 6 | Blacktown | 490.2 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 477.4 |
| 8 | Sydney | 454.3 |
| 9 | Burwood | 432.7 |
| 10 | Ashfield | 396.2 |
| State Average | 432.4 | |
Source: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. Year to December 2015
Top 10 Burglary Hotspots – Rest of NSW:
| Rank | Local Government Area | Incidents Of Theft (Break & Enter Dwelling Rate Per 100,000 Population) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bourke | 2907.2 |
| 2 | Coonamble | 2503.0 |
| 3 | Wellington | 1973.2 |
| 4 | Walgett | 1971.2 |
| 5 | Armidale | 1760.4 |
| 6 | Moree Plains | 1732.1 |
| 7 | Narromine | 1532.8 |
| 8 | Gilgandra | 1384.9 |
| 9 | Wagga Wagga | 1311.8 |
| 10 | Kempsey | 1280.9 |
| State Average | 432.4 | |
Source: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. Year to December 2015
You can learn more about home & contents insurance in NSW here.
The table below displays a snapshot of home and contents products on Canstar’s database with direct links to the providers’ websites, sorted by Star Rating (highest to lowest) then alphabetically. These results are based on a policy holder under 50 years old in New South Wales and ACT for building and contents worth less than $550,000.
Victoria
Using data from Victoria’s Crime Statistics Agency, the below burglary/break and enter hotspots for both Greater Melbourne and the rest of Victoria were identified.
Top 10 Burglary Hotspots – Greater Melbourne
| Rank | LGA | 2015 Burglary/Break And Enter Rate (Per 1,000 Population) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yarra | 13.87 |
| 2 | Melbourne | 13.64 |
| 3 | Darebin | 12.54 |
| 4 | Hume | 11.27 |
| 5 | Stonnington | 11.23 |
| 6 | Port Phillip | 10.66 |
| 7 | Greater Dandenong | 10.53 |
| 8 | Moreland | 10.49 |
| 9 | Brimbank | 9.92 |
| 10 | Maribyrnong | 9.89 |
| State Average | 8.35 | |
Source: Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) . Rates and averages calculated by Canstar based on CSA data.
Top 10 Burglary Hotspots – Rest of VIC
| Rank | LGA | 2015 Burglary/Break And Enter Rate (Per 1,000 Population) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ballarat | 13.19 |
| 2 | Latrobe | 12.83 |
| 3 | Greater Shepparton | 12.63 |
| 4 | Mildura | 12.14 |
| 5 | Wellington | 11.49 |
| 6 | Greater Geelong | 10.96 |
| 7 | Campaspe | 10.67 |
| 8 | Hepburn | 10.04 |
| 9 | Murrindindi | 9.34 |
| 10 | Central Goldfields | 8.51 |
| State Average | 8.35 | |
Source: Crime Statistics Agency (CSA). Rates calculated by Canstar based on CSA data.
You can learn more about home & contents insurance in Victoria here.
The table below displays a snapshot of home and contents products with direct links to the providers’ websites, sorted by Star Rating (highest to lowest) then alphabetically. These results are based on a policy holder under 50 years old in Victoria for building and contents worth less than $550,000.
Queensland
Through the Queensland Police Service’s reported crime trend data per division, the following hotspots were identified for Greater Brisbane and the rest of Queensland.
Top 10 Home Break-In Hotspots* – Greater Brisbane
| Rank | Police Division | Unlawful Dwelling Entry With Intent – 2015 Average Monthly Rate (Per 100,000) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Logan Central | 75.95 |
| 2 | Acacia Ridge | 73.19 |
| 3 | Annerley | 69.50 |
| 4 | Booval | 66.73 |
| 5 | Upper Mount Gravatt | 64.00 |
| 6 | Dutton Park | 62.58 |
| 7 | Crestmead | 62.27 |
| 8 | Beenleigh | 60.84 |
| 9 | Inala | 55.86 |
| 10 | Ipswich | 55.84 |
| State Average | 34.31 | |
Source: QPS Reported Crime Trend Data. Averages calculated by Canstar based on QPS data.
*Districts with populations of less than 2,000 have been excluded by Canstar.
Top 10 Home Break-In Hotspots* – Rest of QLD
| Rank | Police Division | Unlawful Dwelling Entry With Intent – 2015 Average Monthly Rate (Per 100,000) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cairns | 100.11 |
| 2 | Mundingburra | 83.05 |
| 3 | Charters Towers | 79.02 |
| 4 | Weipa | 72.22 |
| 5 | Townsville | 67.62 |
| 6 | Saint George | 63.22 |
| 7 | Edmonton | 58.67 |
| 8 | Mareeba | 56.48 |
| 9 | Surfers Paradise | 55.55 |
| 10 | Yarrabah | 55.29 |
| State Average | 34.31 | |
Source: QPS Reported Crime Trend Data. Averages calculated by Canstar based on QPS data
*Districts with populations of less than 2,000 have been excluded by Canstar.
You can learn more about home & contents insurance in Queensland here.
The table below displays a snapshot of home and contents products with direct links to the providers’ websites, sorted by Star Rating (highest to lowest) then alphabetically. These results are based on a policy holder under 50 years old in South Queensland for building and contents worth less than $550,000.
Western Australia
In early 2015, Western Australian insurer RAC revealed the worst suburbs for burglary claims throughout the State, based on over 2,500 RAC Insurance claims in 2014.
Top 10 Home Break-In Hotspots – Greater Perth
| Rank | Town/Suburb |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bassendean, Beechboro, Thornlie |
| 2 | Morley |
| 3 | Duncraig |
| 4 | Canning Vale, Hamilton Hill |
| 5 | Gosnells |
| 6 | Spearwood |
| 7 | Armadale |
| 8 | Rockingham |
| 9 | Baldivis, Port Kennedy |
| 10 | Ballajura |
Source: RAC 2014 Home Burglaries Analysis
Top 10 Home Break-In Hotspots – Rest of WA
| Rank | Town/Suburb |
|---|---|
| 1 | Boulder |
| 2 | Carey Park |
| 3 | South Bunbury |
| 4 | Northam |
| 5 | Australind |
| 6 | South Kalgoorlie |
| 7 | Kalgoorlie |
| 8 | East Bunbury |
| 9 | Dalyellup |
| 10 | Piccadilly |
Source: RAC 2014 Home Burglaries Analysis
The table below displays a snapshot of home and contents products with direct links to the providers’ websites, sorted by Star Rating (highest to lowest) then alphabetically. These results are based on a policyholder under 50 years old in Western Australia for building and contents worth less than $550,000.
South Australia
South Australia’s Office of Crime Statistics and Research has a crime mapper tool which reveals the criminal trespass/break and enter rates in 2013 for each local government area.
Top 10 break and enter hot spots – Greater Adelaide
| Rank | LGA | 2013 Serious Criminal Trespass/Break And Enter Rate (Per 1,000 Population) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Playford | 15.7 |
| 2 | Port Adelaide Enfield | 13.33 |
| 3 | Charles Sturt | 12.28 |
| 4 | Adelaide | 11.89 |
| 5 | Walkerville | 11.54 |
| 6 | Prospect | 11.36 |
| 7 | Gawler | 10.75 |
| 8 | Marion | 10.3 |
| 9 | Onkaparinga | 8.88 |
| 10 | Salisbury | 8.59 |
| State Average | 8.98 | |
Source: Crime Mapper 2009-2013, Office of Crime Statistics and Research. Rates and averages calculated by Canstar