The Northern Territory (NT) is currently identified as a significant crime hotspot in Australia, with offender rates surpassing those of all other jurisdictions — more than double the national average. According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics for the financial year 2023-24, the offender rate in the NT stands at 3,954 per 100,000 individuals aged 10 years and older. This figure marks a substantial decline from the 2018-19 period, when 10,871 offenders were recorded, compared to 8,692 in the latest figures.
A noteworthy aspect of the offender statistics is that more than half of those processed by police in the NT are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals. Specifically, 4,725 offenders belong to this demographic, equating to an alarming rate of 7,353 offenders per 100,000 people aged 10 years and over within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
In contrast, Queensland ranks as the second-highest jurisdiction for crime, with 1,645 offenders per 100,000 individuals, although it saw a modest decrease of 3% compared to the previous year. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) exhibited the lowest offender rate across the nation at 612 per 100,000. Victoria followed suit with a reported decrease of 6%, resulting in an offender rate of 1,008 per 100,000 people, taking population changes into account.
Notably, both South Australia and New South Wales (NSW) have experienced reductions in their crime rates, with decreases of 4% and 2%, respectively. On the other hand, Western Australia (WA) noted an increase in offender numbers, reaching 1,527 per 100,000 people — the highest figure since 2018-19 — marking a turnaround from five years of declining rates.
Despite having the third highest total offender rate in the country, NSW also reported the largest number of youth offenders, with 18,185 individuals aged 10 to 17 prosecuted in 2023-24, reflecting a slight reduction of 1% from the prior year. The NT, in comparison, recorded a lower figure, with 787 youth offenders in the same age bracket.
This data highlights ongoing challenges related to crime and its demographic factors across various Australian regions, particularly in the Northern Territory, where targeted interventions may be needed to address these high rates of offending.