Which Australian suburbs have the highest crime rates?

When deciding where to live, one important consideration is safety. One way of measuring this is by looking at crime statistics of the area.

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When deciding where to live, one important consideration is safety. One way of measuring this is by looking at crime statistics of the area.

Living in a high-crime suburb can make your home insurance more expensive. Crime rates, along with the number of claims in your area and your exposure to natural events like fires and floods, can influence the likelihood of you making a claim. This may affect your premiums. If you do live in a high-crime suburb you may be able to reduce your premiums by installing security alarms or additional locks. This depends on who your provider is.

Canstar has analysed burglary statistics to find the top hotspots in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. We’ve also analysed each of the state’s hotspots outside of these major cities. Depending on the available data, we’ve looked at crime statistics by suburb, postcode, local government area (LGA) or police division. We’ve also weighed this against the population of each area.

While crime rates can be useful, take these figures with a grain of salt. Crime rates can fluctuate, particularly for areas with smaller populations.

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Note for readers: Northern Territory, Tasmanian, and the Australian Capital Territory home burglary statistics are not covered in this article as comparable data was not available. Read more about crime statistics in the NT, Tasmania and the ACT.

New South Wales crime statistics by LGA

Using data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Canstar identified the following local government areas (LGAs) as having the top burglary rates in both Greater Sydney and the rest of NSW for the year ending December 2023. Suburb and LGA mapping information is available from the NSW Government.

Top 10 burglary hotspots – Greater Sydney

For Greater Sydney, in the year to December 2023, Penrith had the highest burglary rate. Bear in mind that the inner city areas are densely populated. Here are the top 10 burglary hotspots in Greater Sydney:

Penrith: 3.1 burglary rate
Parramatta: 2.7 burglary rate
Cumberland: 2.6 burglary rate
Sydney: 2.5 burglary rate
Strathfield: 2.5 burglary rate
Blacktown: 2.3 burglary rate
Liverpool: 2.3 burglary rate
Randwick: 2.0 burglary rate
Lane Cove: 1.9 burglary rate
Central Coast: 1.9 burglary rate

Top 10 burglary hotspots – Rest of NSW

For the rest of NSW, Canstar found that there were 10,686 reported break and enters in the period of 12 months to December 2023.

Moree Plains: 23.9 burglary rate
Coonamble: 15.9 burglary rate
Kempsey: 11.5 burglary rate
Armidale Regionals: 11.3 burglary rate
Lachlan: 10.1 burglary rate
Walgett: 9.6 burglary rate
Narrabri: 9.6 burglary rate
Cowra: 9.4 burglary rate
Dubbo Regional: 9.0 burglary rate
Gunnedah: 8.9 burglary rate

Source: www.canstar.com.au. Prepared on 3/04/2024. Based on rates per 1,000 population recorded by Local Government Area for break and enter (dwelling) from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. LGAs are categorised into Greater Capital City Statistical Areas per ABS Mappings.

Compare Home and Contents Insurance with Canstar

If you’re comparing home and contents insurance policies, the comparison table below displays some of the policies currently available on Canstar’s database for an Australian aged under 50, seeking cover in NSW or the ACT for a cost to replace contents of below $75,000. Please note the table is sorted by Star Rating (highest to lowest), followed by provider name (alphabetical) and features links direct to the providers’ websites. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD), before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the PDS and TMD. Use Canstar’s home insurance comparison selector to view a wider range of policies. Canstar may earn a fee for referrals.