The rate of domestic violence in NSW continues to rise, bucking the downward trend of most other crimes including assault within pubs and clubs, which has fallen thanks to state government intervention, new statistics show.

The 2.5 per cent increase in incidents of domestic violence over the past two years meant it was one of only two major crime categories to go up in the latest NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research figures. The other increase was for fraud.

"It doesn't matter who it is: parents assaulting children, grown children assaulting parents or any other person guilty of domestic assault, you will be held accountable.": Andrew Scipione. Credit:Mick Tsikas

Non-domestic assault remained stable over the past 24 months, but assault within a licensed premises was down 5.6 per cent statewide, 15.1 per cent in Sydney and more than 30 per cent in the Kings Cross area.

Bureau director Don Weatherburn said the statistics indicated that the increases in domestic violence were not just because victims were more willing to report the crime. He said the figures showed that domestic violence causing grievous bodily harm, which is always reported because the victim ends up in hospital, has also increased.