Australia sees less household crimes: Statistics

Canberra, Feb 12:

households experienced less crime in 2012-13 than in 2008-09, authorities said Wednesday.

According to the figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), a survey found that rates of victimisation for crimes such as break-in, attempted break-in, malicious property damage and motor vehicle theft were all lower in 2012-13 than five years ago, reported Xinhua.

Victimization rates for personal crimes, including physical assault and face-to-face assault, were also lower in 2012-13 than in 2008-09.

The survey revealed the number of assault victims aged 15 or older fell by 0.4 percentage points to 2.7 percent.

The rate of sexual assault remained steady, fluctuating from 0.2 percent and 0.3 percent.

"Eighty-one percent of households who experienced a break-in during the 12 months prior to interview experienced only one incident," ABS director of the National Center for Crime and Justice Statistics William Milne said.

The survey was conducted throughout Australia from July 2012 to June 2013 to provide an estimate on the extent of victimization.

IANS