An In-Depth Look at the Statistics of Crime Evolution in Perth

The evolution of crime in Perth, Australia has seen a significant increase in terms of domestic violence and drug-related incidents. Statistics from WA Police’s Crime Time Series reveal that  the number of drug cases in most districts have doubled while domestic violence cases have tripled. Perth suddenly became the meth capital of Australia after drug offenses have seen a massive increase from around 14,000 cases back in 2010-2011 to 34,500 in 2016-2017. The alarming numbers have prompted the state government to make inroads in an effort to control Perth’s drug incidents. Since then, drug-related offenses have been reduced by around 2000 in 2017-2018 and is continually improving today.

Domestic violence incidents in Perth have also seen an increase over the years, mainly due to more victims coming forward and reporting it to local police authorities. The increasing numbers have raised concerns among the local population which begs the question, “should people be worried about the increasing crime rates in Perth?”The To help answer that, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at a decades worth of statistics to find out how crime has evolved in Perth as well as in your own local area. Check out the numbers below.

Crime statistics in Armadale

The Armadale Police District covers the suburbs of Gosnells, Canningvale, Mundijong, and Armadale. The most staggering crime evolution in Armadale is the significant increase of drug offenses which rose from 1,300 in 2008 to 2,839 in 2017. Family assault cases have also tripled over the last decade and has steadily increased to around 100 to 300 cases every year since 2010.

The upward trend for most offences in Armadale is quite alarming, but home burglaries and other crimes have been reduced in 2017 when compared to the previous year.

Crime statistics in Cannington

The Cannington Police District covers the suburbs of Kensington, Belmont, and Cannington. The numbers reveal that family assaults have seen a steady rise over the years, increasing from 550 in 2008 to 1,426 in 2016. The first time the numbers dropped was in 2017 where family assault cases were reportedly around 1,352.

Drug offenses in Cannington were the lowest from 2010 to 2013 before seeing a massive spike from 2014 onwards.Decrease in home burglary rates were huge in 2016 to 2017, going from 3,591 cases down to 2,827.

Crime statistics in Fremantle

The Fremantle Police District covers the suburbs of Murdoch, Palmyra, Cockburn, and Fremantle. Since 2011, drug-related cases have increased significantly before dropping down in 2017. Non-family assaults have been slowly decreasing over the years while home burglaries are dropping down as well.

Motor vehicle thefts have gone down from 1,002 in 2008 to 738 in 2017. Fremantle recorded the highest increase in sexual offenses during the last decade with a shocking 82% increase compared to other cities.

Crime statistics in Joondalup

The Joondalup Police District covers the suburbs of Clarkson, Yanchep, Hillarys, Wanneroo, Warwick, and Joondalup. The area has experienced a massive spike in drug offenses that tripled within a 4-year span. Drug offenses increased from 1,428 in 2013 to 4,134 in 2016 before dropping down to 3,208 in 2017.

Home burglary cases decreased in the last 5 years while family assaults have been steadily increasing from 2008 until 2016. Domestic violence is on a downward trend after doubling in the past decade.

Crime statistics in Mandurah

The Mandurah Police District covers the suburbs of Kwinana, Pinjarra, Dwellingup, Rockingham, and Mandurah. The numbers indicate that the area has a severe problem with family assault as the cases have risen significantly over the years with 579 cases in 2008 to 2,404 cases in 2016. Non-family assaults have been steady in the last decade with no significant reduction.

Along with the rise of family assault cases are the number of drug offenses which started rising in 2011 until 2016.

Crime statistics in Midland

The Midland Police District covers the suburbs of Ballajura, Ellenbrook, Forrestfield, Mundaring, Kiara, and Midland. Drug offenses doubled in a 3-year span starting from 2013 to 2016. Home burglary peaked in 2011 with around 2,800 cases before dropping down to 2,327 in 2017. During the last decade, family assault cases increased each year from 2008 to 2016.

Non-family assault cases remained steady, ranging from 800-1,000 cases since the beginning of 2008.

Crime statistics in Mirrabooka

The Mirrabooka Police District covers the suburbs of Morley, Bayswater, Scarborough, and Mirrabooka. Since 2008, the number of non-family assault cases have dropped from 1,222 in 2008 to just 958 in 2017. Home burglary remains high and is one of the most frequently recorded crime within the area aside from drug offenses.

Since 2008, family assault cases have risen over the years before dipping in 2017.

Crime statistics in Inner Perth

The Perth Police District covers the suburbs of Wembley and Perth. The statistics show that family assault has steadily increased during the last decade, peaking in 2017 with 665 cases compared to 221 in 2008. Perhaps the most notable crime evolution is the home burglary which dipped to its lowest at 1,180 cases in 2011 before spiking to 3,140 in 2016.

When taking a close look at the statistics, it’s pretty clear that home burglary and drug offenses are the most common crimes in each area. These crimes have been on an upward trend over the last decade, forcing the state government to invest the WA Police Force to tackle the ice scourge head-on by including 20 support staff and 100 additional officers for the Meth Border Force.

The number of burglaries have been fluctuating between each police district, with Cannington having the best result by being able to reduce break-ins by roughly 20% in the last decade.

Conclusion

For the past decade, crimes like burglary, domestic violence, and drug offenses in Perth are constantly rising. But in 2017, the statistics suggest the WA Police force’s concerted efforts are slowly turning the corner. Crime rates are going down, and while there is still room for improvement, there is hope that the numbers will continue to decrease in the near future. If you need security systems or alarm monitoring services in Perth, call us at Smart Security today.