IT IS a scene familiar across Sydney - as her shirtless, bloodied boyfriend pauses during a fight with another man, a young woman leaps into the air to land a wild, swinging right to start the brawl all over again.

According to new national crime figures women are now outpacing men in the violence stakes, with the rate of women committing assaults jumping 49 per cent since the mid 1990s.

Australian Institute of Criminology data shows the number of female assaults per 100,000 women increased from 125 to 186 between 1996 and 2010 compared to an increase of just 18 per cent for men.

Griffith University's Violence Research and Prevention Program director Professor Paul Mazerolle said there was "no question" young women were getting more involved in violence: "There's been a moderate increase in [female] violence but we as a community are less tolerant of violence so we're seeing more of a response from police."

Professor Mazerolle said women experienced similar levels of aggression but traditionally internalised their response rather than lashing out.

"The thing that cuts across both [genders] is alcohol," he said. "It reduces your self control and inflates bravado. That also affects young females."

While Professor Mazerolle said police were more likely to arrest and charge violent women than a generation ago, criminologists argued the crime of assault remained the most "error prone" of all categories with respect to policing and reporting.

Canberra University criminologist Dr Lorana Bartels said there was still "a lot of discretion" whether police would charge a woman in a melee: "With any increase we have to be careful. Is this a genuine change or an artefact of discretion?"

Police exercised that discretion in George St yesterday arresting the two men involved in a brawl that broke out about 2.40am but let the young woman go.

The drunken fight, which criss-crossed the street narrowly missing cars, continued even when police cars arrived.

Two men, aged 21 and 34 have been charged with acting in an offensive manner over the incident.

Originally published as Violent women spiking the punch