Canberra crime stats show spike in burglaries, thefts and assault — see how your suburb fares

Updated

Canberra crime spiked last year, as armed robberies, home burglaries and car theft skyrocketed.

ACT Policing reports were up 7 per cent — the first jump since 2014 — and a deeper analysis reveals a far worse picture in some areas.

The territory's top cop partly blames the "complex" trend on a rise in recidivism, drug addiction and reporting of crimes.

Click here to find the crime trends in your neighbourhood.

'It really does shake you'

Daisy Litchfield, who moved from Sydney's King's Cross to Kingston in 2016, belongs to Canberra's fast-growing pool of burglary victims.

In February, she arrived home from work to find her roof smashed in.

The thief had climbed up into the manhole outside her apartment, bashed in her ceiling and dropped into her loungeroom.

He stole her laptop, her housemate's jewellery and her car, which police found five days later in Melbourne.

"It is a really strange feeling having a gaping hole in your roof," Ms Litchfield said.

"I didn't know if he was still up there … it was terrifying."

She said the experience made her super vigilant.

"It makes you second guess everything," she said.

"Even if I'm here by myself I check that all the doors are closed."reid

Home burglaries, armed robberies and car theft jump

Ms Litchfield is far from alone.

Home burglaries in Kingston rose more than 50 per cent last year — and it is not much better across the city, where they were up 32 per cent.

Armed robberies were up 21 per cent, motor vehicle theft up 41 per cent and other robberies up 33 per cent.

A look through two years of ACT Policing data shows where these crimes, and others, were the most prevalent.

Over the year, the most dwellings were burgled in Kambah (69), followed by Lyneham (58), Belconnen (56) and Moncreiff (43).

Dwelling burglaries include secured construction sites, which could explain the large number that occurred in the new suburb of Moncreiff.

The most cars were stolen in Kambah (69), the Belconnen Town Centre (67), Phillip (58) and Fyshwick (49), while Nicholls, Conder and Griffith had the most armed robberies.

The statistics, which range from serious offences such as homicide to traffic infringements — and are of initial police reports only — reveal Canberra's worst hotspots for overall crime.

The largest rise by region was the Molonglo Valley, Canberra's newest district, followed by Woden and Belconnen. The only district that saw a drop was Weston Creek.

But the most reports were made in Belconnen, followed by the Inner North and Tuggeranong.

Many suburbs with the biggest hikes were predictably newly or partially developed, such as Lawson and Coombs.

But this was not always the case.

Crime rates in the established suburbs of Yarralumla, Ainslie, Richardson and Lyons jumped more than 50 per cent.

Assaults, including family violence, "other offences" which relate to deception, the environment and weapons, and speeding offences were among the highest in these suburbs.

These trends are despite Yarralumla and Richardson declining in population, with Ainslie growing only slightly.

Chapman, Red Hill and Dunlop saw the biggest drop in crime, with the latter the only growing suburb of the three.

The most reports by numbers were made in the city, the Belconnen town centre, Kambah, Phillip and Gungahlin — which overtook Braddon for the fifth spot the prior year.

In all of these suburbs, theft was among the most reported crimes.

Assaults rose slightly in Canberra as a whole, but was alarmingly high in some town centres and neighbourhoods.

A person was assaulted more than daily in the city, twice a week in the Belconnen Town Centre and almost weekly in Greenway, Gungahlin, Garran, Phillip and Wanniassa.

Sexual assaults in McKellar jumped from one to 21 from 2016 to 2017.

Family violence assaults alone — which jumped more than 20 per cent in one third of Canberra's suburbs — almost quadrupled in Isabella Plains (to 43) and Ainslie (to 19).

An ACT Policing spokeswoman said these sudden increases could partly reflect historical reports, as the figures are counted on the date they were reported to police, not on the date they occurred.

Recidivism, drugs contributing to rise: Chief Police Officer

ACT Policing Chief Police Officer Justine Saunders said police were "providing a quality service" to Canberrans, despite the rise.

She said she was committed to slashing burglaries and robberies.

"I'm concerned about any increase in crime trends but obviously I'm particularly concerned about the growth in these areas because these are the crimes that have touched our people in the community," she said.

"In mid-November 2017 I established a crime disruption team with a view to proactively address offences such as motor vehicle theft, robbery and burglary. And it is having some success, we've had a number of arrests and recovery of stolen property."

She said she believed growing recidivism and drug addiction were factors in the rise, but did not elaborate on what was driving these.

Assistant Commissioner Saunders said she believed the rise in assaults was partly due to more victims feeling confident enough to report the crime, particularly of family violence.

The ACT has a higher reporting rate for most crime types than the national average, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Assistant Commissioner Saunders said bikie violence remained in the "forefront of her mind" as one of the biggest challenges facing police.

But Australian Federal Police Union president Angela Smith said the rise in violent, complex crimes showed something was "seriously wrong".

"I've got so many members who are out on stress leave who are suffering from severe PTSD and depression because they feel like they go to so many jobs that are intense, they are violent, there's not enough backup, there aren't enough people to help them," she said.

ACT Police Minister Mick Gentleman highlighted that despite the rise, crime had fallen over 10 years.

In this time, homicide, burglaries and motor vehicle theft was down, but assaults — sexual and otherwise — were up.

But he was concerned police had reported a spike in positive roadside drug results, which could be linked to the rise in opportunistic crimes.

A recent Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission report showed the territory has some of the highest illicit drug use of Australia's capital cities.

Is crime up in your suburb?

To know some of the most notable crime trends in your neighbourhood, or to see its change in overall crime reports from 2016-2017, search your suburb in the table below.

A reminder: the figures indicate initial police reports only.

ACT Policing publishes quarterly public crime statistics and definitions of offences online, but these do not distinguish different crimes such as whether assaults are family-violence related, or whether burglaries are of shops or homes.

Suburb Crime 2016 2017 Change (%) Aranda Burglary (dwellings) 5 12 140 Aranda Property damage 15 26 73 Aranda Other offences 81 108 33 Aranda Speeding infringements 158 251 59 Aranda Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 20 35 75 Aranda Total crime reports 800 870 9 Belconnen Assault (family violence) 37 51 38 Belconnen Assault (excluding family violence) 50 118 136 Belconnen Sexual assault 21 34 62 Belconnen Motor vehicle theft 27 67 148 Belconnen Property damage 149 282 89 Belconnen Other offences 455 727 60 Belconnen Total crime reports 1872 2763 48 Bruce Sexual assault 5 11 120 Bruce Burglary (dwellings) 13 21 62 Bruce Property damage 69 128 86 Bruce Other offences 134 164 22 Bruce Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 109 168 54 Bruce Total crime reports 973 1112 14 Charnwood Burglary (dwellings) 3 14 367 Charnwood Property damage 44 52 18 Charnwood Other traffic offences 75 51 -32 Charnwood Total crime reports 390 357 -8 Cook Burglary (dwellings) 13 7 -46 Cook Speeding infringements 158 72 -59 Cook Other traffic offences 67 48 -39 Cook Total crime reports 391 271 -26 Dunlop Assault (excluding family violence) 7 16 129 Dunlop Property damage 53 44 -17 Dunlop Other offences 131 62 -53 Dunlop Other traffic offences 43 17 -60 Dunlop Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 70 41 -41 Dunlop Total crime reports 373 232 -38 Evatt Burglary (dwellings) 25 36 44 Evatt Property damage 31 43 39 Evatt Speeding infringements 17 28 65 Evatt Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 49 67 37 Evatt Total crime reports 267 340 26 Florey Burglary (dwellings) 27 42 56 Florey Motor vehicle theft 10 19 90 Florey Property damage 65 81 25 Florey Other offences 129 165 28 Florey Total crime reports 538 604 12 Flynn Burglary (dwellings) 5 15 200 Flynn Property damage 14 21 50 Flynn Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 19 37 95 Flynn Total crime reports 164 169 3 Fraser Other offences 61 74 21 Fraser Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 31 22 -29 Fraser Total crime reports 152 184 21 Giralang Burglary (dwellings) 3 8 167 Giralang Property damage 26 31 19 Giralang Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 32 37 16 Giralang Total crime reports 190 190 0 Hawker Assault (family violence) 13 7 -46 Hawker Assault (excluding family violence) 5 13 160 Hawker Property damage 31 40 29 Hawker Other offences 60 111 85 Hawker Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 121 75 -38 Higgins Burglary (dwellings) 3 12 300 Higgins Property damage 21 32 52 Higgins Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 21 40 90 Higgins Total crime reports 211 220 4 Holt Burglary (dwellings) 11 21 91 Holt Motor vehicle theft 20 26 30 Holt Property damage 87 105 21 Holt Total crime reports 829 752 -9 Kaleen Burglary (dwellings) 13 26 100 Kaleen Other offences 83 117 41 Kaleen Total crime reports 417 511 23 Latham Assault (excluding family violence) 1 11 1000 Latham Property damage 18 29 61 Latham Other offences 57 66 16 Latham Total crime reports 204 240 18 Lawson Other offences 5 30 500 Lawson Other traffic offences 7 16 129 Lawson Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 5 17 240 Lawson Total crime reports 35 92 163 Macgregor Other offences 60 74 23 Macgregor Total crime reports 379 278 -27 Macquarie Burglary (dwellings) 7 15 114 Macquarie Motor vehicle theft 8 27 238 Macquarie Property damage 40 60 50 Macquarie Other offences 60 76 27 Macquarie Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 78 106 36 Macquarie Total crime reports 379 479 26 McKellar Sexual assault 1 21 2000 McKellar Property damage 15 37 147 McKellar Other offences 35 48 37 McKellar Total crime reports 155 186 20 Melba Sexual assault 2 12 500 Melba Burglary (dwellings) 11 19 73 Melba Property damage 16 31 94 Melba Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 38 48 26 Melba Total crime reports 231 267 -16 Page Burglary (dwellings) 5 15 200 Page Other offences 53 64 21 Page Speeding infringements 12 21 75 Page Other traffic offences 27 32 19 Page Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 20 35 75 Page Total crime reports 191 220 15 Scullin Motor vehicle theft 6 19 217 Scullin Other offences 61 71 16 Scullin Speeding infringements 13 23 77 Scullin Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 29 49 69 Scullin Total crime reports 210 242 15 Spence Burglary (dwellings) 15 22 47 Spence Other offences against a person 57 75 32 Spence Total crime reports 197 230 17 Weetangera Speeding infringements 23 41 78 Weetangera Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 18 56 68 Weetangera Total crime reports 113 161 42% Amaroo Assault (family violence) 17 8 -53 Amaroo Assault (excluding family violence) 9 17 89 Amaroo Property damage 53 35 -34 Amaroo Other offences 78 44 -44 Amaroo Total crime reports 308 220 -29 Bonner Property damage 16 32 100 Bonner Other traffic offences 34 16 -53 Bonner Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 35 80 129 Bonner Total crime reports 193 250 30 Casey Assault (family violence) 12 21 75 Casey Property damage 21 50 138 Casey Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 131 73 -44 Casey Total crime reports 347 298 -14 Crace Other offences 60 44 -27 Crace Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 53 41 -23 Crace Total crime reports 211 169 -20 Forde Burglary (dwellings) 5 10 100 Forde Other offences 43 27 -37 Forde Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 20 32 60 Forde Total crime reports 138 147 7 Franklin Property damage 44 52 18 Franklin Speeding infringements 177 99 -44 Franklin Total crime reports 592 494 -17 Gungahlin Assault (excluding family violence) 39 47 21 Gungahlin Burglary (dwellings) 13 26 100 Gungahlin Other offences 264 357 35 Gungahlin Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 293 391 33 Gungahlin Total crime reports 1140 1281 12 Hall Other offences 2 11 450 Hall Speeding infringements 3 20 567 Hall Total crime reports 15 67 347 Harrison Property damage 29 59 103 Harrison Speeding infringements 57 139 144 Harrison Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 57 85 49 Harrison Total crime reports 390 532 36 Jacka Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 2 14 600 Jacka Total crime reports 21 35 67 Kenny Total crime reports 21 35 67 Mitchell Other offences 143 168 17 Mitchell Total crime reports 607 613 1 Moncrieff Burglary (dwellings) 5 43 760 Moncrieff Property damage 20 38 90 Moncrieff Other offences 11 28 155 Moncrieff Speeding infringements 33 17 -48 Moncrieff Total crime reports 135 248 84 Ngunnawal Sexual assault 4 15 275 Ngunnawal Other traffic offences 31 52 68 Ngunnawal Total crime reports 417 426 2 Nicholls Property damage 42 53 26 Nicholls Other offences against a person 124 80 -35 Nicholls Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 58 82 41 Nicholls Total crime reports 373 262 -30 Acton Property damage 55 63 15 Acton Total crime reports 636 636 0 Ainslie Property damage 55 77 40 Ainslie Other offences 81 217 168 Ainslie Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 82 117 43 Ainslie Total crime reports 376 610 62 Braddon Assault (family violence) 25 12 -52 Braddon Speeding infringements 25 46 84 Braddon Total crime reports 1256 958 -24 Campbell Property damage 29 37 28 Campbell Other offences 53 72 36 Campbell Total crime reports 261 286 10 City Assault (family violence) 24 31 29 City Sexual assault 36 51 42 City Other offences 1191 1445 21 City Total crime reports 3825 4148 8 Dickson Assault (excluding family violence) 15 26 73 Dickson Burglary (dwellings) 12 26 117 Dickson Total crime reports 737 825 12 Downer Other offences 29 44 52 Downer Speeding infringements 9 15 67 Downer Total crime reports 174 180 3 Hackett Property damage 18 27 50 Hackett Other offences 88 36 -59 Hackett Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 32 45 41 Hackett Total crime reports 179 155 -13 Lyneham Burglary (dwellings) 18 58 222 Lyneham Burglary (other) 120 13 -89 Lyneham Other offences 152 126 -17 Lyneham Total crime reports 861 799 -7 Majura Other offences 43 183 326 Majura Total crime reports 355 380 7 O'Connor Property damage 40 53 343 O'Connor Other offences 69 94 32 O'Connor Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 81 107 20 O'Connor Total crime reports 379 514 36 Parkes Other offences 70 47 -33 Parkes Other traffic offences 46 23 -50 Parkes Total crime reports 209 150 -28 Reid Assault (excluding family violence) 16 21 31 Reid Other offences 125 159 27 Reid Total crime reports 488 542 11 Russell Speeding infringements 32 43 34 Turner Property damage 45 75 67 Turner Total crime reports 404 399 -1 Watson Property damage 43 70 63 Watson Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 46 93 102 Watson Total crime reports 336 410 22 Barton Property damage 24 32 33 Barton Other offences 68 56 -18 Barton Total crime reports 213 232 9 Beard Total crime reports 35 22 -37 Captial Hill Other offences 24 6 -75 Captial Hill Total crime reports 35 22 -37 Deakin Motor vehicle theft 10 49 0 Deakin Other offences 71 44 10 Deakin Total crime reports 367 380 4 Forrest Other offences 19 35 84 Forrest Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 17 39 129 Forrest Total crime reports 99 141 42 Fyshwick Property damage 107 75 -29 Fyshwick Other offences 240 255 6 Fyshwick Total crime reports 1099 974 -11 Griffith Motor vehicle theft 16 34 112 Griffith Property damage 125 152 22 Griffith Total crime reports 877 851 -3 Kingston Homicide 0 0 Kingston Burglary (dwellings) 19 31 63 Kingston Burglary (shops) 19 6 -68 Kingston Property damage 71 110 55 Kingston Other offences 129 88 -32 Kingston Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 132 205 55 Kingston Total crime reports 523 593 13 Narrabundah Other offences 188 251 34 Narrabundah Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 221 136 -38 Narrabundah Total crime reports 761 748 -2 Oaks Estate Total crime reports 65 54 -17 Pialligo Other offences 19 25 32 Pialligo Total crime reports 194 132 -32 Red Hill Burglary (dwellings) 31 21 -32 Red Hill Other offences 112 65 -42 Red Hill Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 120 65 -46 Red Hill Total crime reports 425 258 -39 Symonston Property damage 27 14 -48 Symonston Other offences 38 72 89 Symonston Total crime reports 197 236 20 Yarralumla Property damage 41 67 63 Yarralumla Other offences 59 83 41 Yarralumla Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 68 102 50 Yarralumla Total crime reports 329 541 64 Chapman Other offences 165 21 -87 Chapman Total crime reports 236 100 -58 Duffy Property damage 19 29 53 Duffy Total crime reports 116 120 3 Fisher Property damage 22 12 -45 Fisher Other offences 30 45 50 Fisher Total crime reports 155 144 -7 Holder Motor vehicle theft 4 12 200 Holder Property damage 32 9 -72 Holder Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 48 26 -46 Holder Total crime reports 145 92 -37 Rivett Property damage 39 22 -44 Rivett Other offences 41 60 46 Rivett Total crime reports 175 179 2 Stirling Assault (family violence) 6 11 83 Stirling Other offences 21 30 43 Stirling Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 40 27 -32 Stirling Total crime reports 127 134 6 Stromlo Other offences 25 40 60 Stromlo Total crime reports 131 164 25 Waramanga Burglary (dwellings) 13 18 38 Waramanga Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 54 34 -37 Waramanga Total crime reports 185 177 -4 Weston Burglary (dwellings) 18 25 39 Weston Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 157 133 -15 Weston Total crime reports 530 501 -5 Coombs Property damage 9 34 278 Coombs Other offences 13 86 562 Coombs Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 37 77 108 Coombs Total crime reports 125 308 146 Denman Prospect Total crime reports 34 76 124 Molonglo Total crime reports 6 9 50 Wright Burglary (dwellings) 20 27 35 Wright Motor vehicle theft 9 16 78 Wright Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 65 121 86 Wright Total crime reports 276 309 12 Chifley Assault (family violence) 21 8 -62 Chifley Property damage 32 25 -22 Chifley Other offences 59 43 -27 Chifley Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 40 50 25 Chifley Total crime reports 202 191 -5 Curtin Burglary (dwellings) 8 21 162 Curtin Motor vehicle theft 9 19 111 Curtin Other offences 49 86 76 Curtin Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 81 104 28 Curtin Total crime reports 398 544 37 Farrer Property damage 19 14 -26 Farrer Other offences 19 39 105 Farrer Total crime reports 120 130 8 Garran Assault (excluding family violence) 28 46 64 Garran Property damage 34 56 65 Garran Total crime reports 271 328 21 Hughes Burglary (dwellings) 4 11 175 Hughes Other offences 13 29 123 Hughes Total crime reports 83 91 10 Isaacs Burglary (dwellings) 4 11 2 Isaacs Other offences 13 29 1 Isaacs Total crime reports 83 91 10 Lyons Assault (family violence) 6 18 200 Lyons Burglary (dwellings) 14 19 36 Lyons Motor vehicle theft 6 22 267 Lyons Other offences 77 106 38 Lyons Speeding infringements 2 53 2550 Lyons Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 55 66 20 Lyons Total crime reports 281 427 52 Mawson Burglary (dwellings) 9 21 133 Mawson Motor vehicle theft 7 19 171 Mawson Property damage 32 50 56 Mawson Other offences 88 58 -34 Mawson Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 150 182 21 Mawson Total crime reports 358 386 8 O'Malley Property damage 2 15 650 O'Malley Other offences 16 10 -38 O'Malley Total crime reports 51 61 20 Pearce Property damage 26 18 -31 Pearce Total crime reports 120 120 0 Phillip Motor vehicle theft 42 58 38 Phillip Property damage 144 172 19 Phillip Other traffic offences 122 188 54 Phillip Total crime reports 1257 1452 16 Torrens Total crime reports 77 83 8 Banks Other offences 79 48 -39 Banks Total crime reports 216 178 -18 Bonython Assault (family violence) 6 13 117 Bonython Motor vehicle theft 11 24 118 Bonython Property damage 34 23 -32 Bonython Other offences 70 97 39 Bonython Total crime reports 281 325 16 Calwell Sexual assault 2 10 400 Calwell Burglary (dwellings) 14 19 36 Calwell Property damage 56 67 20 Calwell Total crime reports 404 405 0 Chisholm Assault (family violence) 32 17 -47 Chisholm Burglary (dwellings) 29 21 -28 Chisholm Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 134 92 -31 Chisholm Total crime reports 516 470 -8 Conder Motor vehicle theft 14 24 71 Conder Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 97 76 -22 Conder Total crime reports 387 359 -7 Fadden Assault (family violence) 10 1 -90 Fadden Motor vehicle theft 5 15 200 Fadden Other offences 29 52 79 Fadden Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 28 39 39 Fadden Total crime reports 146 151 3 Gilmore Assault (family violence) 7 12 71 Gilmore Burglary (dwellings) 3 11 267 Gilmore Property damage 14 30 114 Gilmore Other offences 64 54 -16 Gilmore Total crime reports 160 201 26 Gordon Property damage 42 59 40 Gordon Total crime reports 371 419 13 Gowrie Burglary (dwellings) 4 16 300 Gowrie Other offences 65 89 37 Gowrie Total crime reports 193 226 17 Greenway Assault (excluding family violence) 61 47 -23 Greenway Motor vehicle theft 19 32 68 Greenway Other offences 294 350 19 Greenway Total crime reports 1170 1160 -1 Isabella Plains Assault (family violence) 9 43 378 Isabella Plains Other offences 67 96 43 Isabella Plains Other traffic offences 38 56 47 Isabella Plains Total crime reports 272 354 30 Kambah Assault (excluding family violence) 34 41 21 Kambah Burglary (other) 20 38 90 Kambah Motor vehicle theft 39 69 77 Kambah Other offences 361 548 52 Kambah Speeding infringements 62 113 82 Kambah Total crime reports 1518 1683 11 Macarthur Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 12 21 75 Macarthur Total crime reports 83 60 -28 Monash Other traffic offences 19 26 37 Monash Total crime reports 272 259 -5 Oxley Property damage 27 13 -52 Oxley Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 38 22 -42 Oxley Total crime reports 150 128 -15 Richardson Property damage 22 46 109 Richardson Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 13 50 285 Richardson Total crime reports 209 325 56 Theodore Property damage 43 33 -23 Theodore Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 54 36 -33 Theodore Total crime reports 199 190 -5 Wanniassa Burglary (dwellings) 24 40 67 Wanniassa Motor vehicle theft 30 42 40 Wanniassa Other offences 263 293 11 Wanniassa Total crime reports 985 990 1 Hume Assault (excluding family violence) 14 21 50 Hume Theft (excluding motor vehicles) 71 23 -68 Hume Total crime reports 420 354 -16 Tharwa Total crime reports 39 52 33 Uriarra Total crime reports 14 18 29 Williamsdale Total crime reports 22 17 -23

Topics: crime, police, canberra-2600, act, australia

First posted