NCJ Number
219448
Date Published
December 2004
Length
59 pages
Annotation
This publication presents national information on crime in Australia for 2004.
Abstract
This publication covers types of recorded crimes, their place of occurrence, victim details, responses of criminal justice agencies, and government resources directed to deal with the crimes. Although the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) has been collecting and analyzing data for the past 30 years, the availability of national statistics on major crimes is a relatively new endeavor. This publication analyzes national statistics collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) as well as a variety of other sources. It is important to use both administrative and survey-based information to understand the level and effects of crime in the community. Administrative collections, such as police and court statistics, provide only one perspective of the true levels of crime in Australia. Crime victimization surveys routinely find that only 40 percent of crimes are reported to the police, and this varies according to crime type; reporting rates are as high as 95 percent for motor vehicle theft and as low as 14 percent for partner violence. The data in this publication primarily comprise national figures. Where national data are not available other sources are used. Additional information is provided for Australian Institute of Criminology materials containing the latest data on crime and justice. Tables, figures, and references