In 2021, around 570 number of people were imprisoned for property damage or environmental pollution in Australia. In the previous year, around 603 number of people were imprisoned for the same reason.

In 2022, there were approximately 27.5 thousand non-indigenous prisoners and around 12.9 thousand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners incarcerated across Australia. The number of people imprisoned in Australia has risen considerably since 2009.

In 2022, approximately 3,257 people were imprisoned in Australia for homicide and related offences. The number of people imprisoned for homicide has risen by around 500 people over the past ten years.

Australia murder/homicide rate per 100K population for 2021 was 0.74, a 13.51% decline from 2020.

• Australia murder/homicide rate per 100K population for 2020 was 0.86, a 2.98% decline from 2019.
• Australia murder/homicide rate per 100K population for 2019 was 0.89, a 0.29% increase from 2018.
• Australia murder/homicide rate per 100K population for 2018 was 0.88, a 4.59% increase from 2017.

Intentional homicides are estimates of unlawful homicides purposely inflicted as a result of domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts over land resources, intergang violence over turf or control, and predatory violence and killing by armed groups. Intentional homicide does not include all intentional killing; the difference is usually in the organization of the killing. Individuals or small groups usually commit homicide, whereas killing in armed conflict is usually committed by fairly cohesive groups of up to several hundred members and is thus usually excluded.

In 2022, around 10,557 people were imprisoned for assault or acts intended to cause injury in Australia. The figure has stayed above the 9,000 mark since 2017.

This dataset presents the footprint of the rates of family incidents retrieved from Victoria Police. The data spans the financial years in the period of July 2013 to June 2018 and is aggregated to 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Local Government Areas (LGA).

The Victorian Family Violence Database is a repository for a range of different datasets relating to family violence clients and service use, extracted from the data holdings of a variety of government agencies.

The rate of family incidents per 100,000 population is calculated using the count of family incidents recorded in a LGA and the Estimated Resident Population (ERP) of that LGA. The rate is calculated using the following formula: Family Incident Rate = (Number of Family Incidents/ERP count) x 100,000. ERPs are based on populations provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

For further information about this dataset and related statistics, visit the data source:Crime Statistics Australia.

Please note:

• AURIN has spatially enabled the original data.

• The data contains information collected by Victoria Police on the L17 Risk Assessment and Risk Management Report.

• To maintain confidentiality, person-based counts with a value of 3 or less are given a value of 2 to calculate totals.

• Data was extracted from the Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP) on 18 July 2018.

In 2021, around 2,943 people were imprisoned for robbery or extortion in Australia. In the previous year, around 3,047 people were imprisoned for the same reason.

In 2021, around 3,717 number of people were imprisoned for unlawful entry with intent in Australia. In the previous year, the figure stood around 3,886 number of people.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

Violent crime has provided a major focus for the study of inter-personal relationships and a range of related research areas in the fields of history, criminology and sociology. However, somewhat surprisingly, the extent, character and 'meanings' of violence in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries have been relatively ignored. Yet during the period 1880 to 1920 prosecuted violent offences in magistrates' courts fell by over 75 per cent to their lowest ever level. Such statistics immediately provoke questions for social scientists. Can we accept that there was a seismic shift in behavioural norms across society? Alternatively, did governmental administrative/economic expediencies produce a 'mirage' of declining violence? Both theories have been advanced for the decline in homicide rates since the 18th century.

This project uses a range of sources/methods to examine changes in real incidence and prosecutorial strategies, and, through study of cities in Australia and New Zealand, steps beyond English socio-cultural contexts to complete a truly comparative project which fully explores violent crime in the fin de siecle period.
Main Topics:

The data collection comprises details of violent offences from selected petty sessions jurisdictions in England, Australia and New Zealand. The offences include: common assault; threats and threatening behaviour; assaulting a peace officer; abusive, insulting and violent language; indecent assault; rape; manslaughter; malicious wounding; actual and grievous bodily harm; attempted murder; and murder.

For each prosecution details are recorded on: the date of the proceeding; the offence; the sex of the accused and victim; related cases; relationship between accused and victim; whether it is a police or private prosecution; whether there was a summons or warrant of arrest; whether the offence was alcohol related; the age of the accused and the victim; whether a separation order was granted or not; the result of the proceedings; the penalty imposed if any; and the original plea if indicated.

Please note: this study does not include information on named individuals and would therefore not be useful for personal family history research.

The following table, produced by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) provides information on rates, trends and patterns in domestic violence incidents reported to, or detected by, the NSW Police Force for the period of 2017/18. The data has been aggregated to location following the 2018 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) edition of the Local Government Areas (LGAs).

Domestic violence is a serious problem which impacts many NSW families. In 2012, an estimated 16.9 per cent of Australian women aged 18 years and over had experienced partner violence since the age of 15 years (ABS Personal Safety Survey 2012).

Rate calculations should also be treated very cautiously for LGAs that have high visitor numbers relative to their residential population. This is because rate calculations are based on estimated residential population and no adjustment has been made for the number of people visiting each LGA per year. For the rate calculations, specialised population data were prepared and provided to BOCSAR by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

For more information please visit the BOSCAR Portal.

Please note:

• AURIN has spatially enabled the original data.

• LGAs which have populations less than 3000 has been suppressed to maintain confidentiality. Original data values of "n.c." have been set to null.

• Source: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research

This statistic presents the results of a survey on perceived leading causes of death through interpersonal violence in Australia as of October 2018. According to data published by Ipsos, around 30 percent of Australian respondents thought that most people killed through interpersonal violence in 2015 died from sharp objects such as knives, when the actual share of knife victims in 2015 was around 36 percent of all violent deaths in Australia.

The United States had, by far, the highest homicide rate of the G7 countries between 2000 and 2021. In 2021, it reached 6.81 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, an increase from 6.52 in 2020 and 5.07 in 2019. By comparison, Canada, the G7 nation with the second highest homicide rate, had 2.07 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021. Out of each G7 nation, Japan had the lowest rate with 0.23 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

This dataset presents the footprint of the rates of family violence patients retrieved from the Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset (VEMD), which holds information detailing presentations at Victorian public hospitals with designated Emergency Departments. The data spans the financial years in the period of July 2013 to June 2018 and is aggregated to 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Local Government Areas (LGA).

The Victorian Family Violence Database is a repository for a range of different datasets relating to family violence clients and service use, extracted from the data holdings of a variety of government agencies.

The rate of patients per 100,000 population is calculated using the count of patients recorded in a LGA and the Estimated Resident Population (ERP) of that LGA. The rate is calculated using the following formula: VEMD Patient Rate = (Number of Patients/ERP count) x 100,000. ERPs are based on populations provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

For further information about this dataset and related statistics, visit the data source:Crime Statistics Australia.

Please note:

• AURIN has spatially enabled the original data.

• To maintain confidentiality, person-based counts with a value of 3 or less are given a value of 2 to calculate totals.

• For the financial years from July 2013 to June 2016, patients presenting for family violence reasons were identified with the human intent injuries of 'Maltreatment, assault by domestic partner' or 'Child neglect/maltreatment by parent or guardian'.

• For the financial year 2016-2017 and onwards, the human intent data item changed, and patients presenting for family violence reasons are identified using the following categories: sexual assault by current or former intimate partner; sexual assault by other family member (excluding intimate partner); neglect, maltreatment, assault by current or former intimate partner or; neglect, maltreatment, assault by other family member (excluding intimate partner).

• Due to methodological improvements made to the calculation of financial year, numbers for some historical years have changed slightly from what was reported in the June 2017 publication of the Family Violence Database.

This dataset presents the footprint of the rates of Victorian domestic/family/sexual violence patients retrieved from Ambulance Victoria. The data spans the reference period of June 2016 to June 2018 and is aggregated to 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Local Government Areas (LGA).

The Victorian Family Violence Database is a repository for a range of different datasets relating to family violence clients and service use, extracted from the data holdings of a variety of government agencies.

The rate of patients per 100,000 population is calculated using the count of events occurring within a LGA and the Estimated Resident Population (ERP) of that LGA. The rate is calculated using the following formula: Rate per 100,000 = (Number of events/ERP count) x 100,000. ERPs are based on populations provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

For further information about this dataset and related statistics, visit the data source:Crime Statistics Australia.

Please note:

• AURIN has spatially enabled the original data.

• Data concerning family violence and sexual violence cannot easily be disaggregated. The data includes events of sexual violence by a non-familial perpetrator.

• The data used in these data tables count the number of records provided by Ambulance Victoria. This translates to the number of patients (non-unique) who were the subject of an event which involved Ambulance Victoria attendance.

• To maintain confidentiality, person-based counts with a value of 3 or less are given a value of 2 to calculate totals.

This dataset presents the footprint of the rates of Affected Family Members (AFMs) of Family Violence Intervention Order (FVIO) applications heard in the Victorian Children's Court, retrieved from Courtlink. The data spans the financial years in the period of July 2013 to June 2018 and is aggregated to 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Local Government Areas (LGA).

The Victorian Family Violence Database is a repository for a range of different datasets relating to family violence clients and service use, extracted from the data holdings of a variety of government agencies.

The rate of AFMs per 100,000 population is calculated using the count of AFMs on original applications in a LGA and the Estimated Resident Population (ERP) of that LGA. The rate is calculated using the following formula: AFM Rate = (Number of AFMs/ERP count) x 100,000. ERPs are based on populations provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

For further information about this dataset and related statistics, visit the data source:Crime Statistics Australia.

Please note:

• AURIN has spatially enabled the original data.

• To avoid double counting individuals, demographic information of applicants/AFMs and respondents are of those on original applications.

• To maintain confidentiality, person-based counts with a value of 3 or less are given a value of 2 to calculate totals.

• Due to improvements made in data processing since the database release ending 30 June 2017, slight movement has occurred in numbers of AFMs and the number of applications outcomes.

• Data was extracted from Courtlink on 30 August 2018.

This provides information on trends and patterns in domestic violence incidents reported to, or detected by, the NSW Police Force.

Data is available on:

• types of domestic violence incidents recorded by police

• spatial distribution of domestic violence incidents, including locations and premises at which these incidents occur

• time of day, day of week and month that domestic violence incidents occur

• involvement of alcohol in domestic violence incidents

• information about victims and perpetrators involved in domestic violence incidents, including their gender, age, Indigenous status and victim-offender relationship

In a survey conducted between December 2024 and January 2025, 33 percent of respondents from Australia voiced concern over the crime and violence situation in the country. In contrast, 12 percent of the surveyed individuals in South Korea selected crime and violence as one of their three leading concerns at the time of the survey.

In 2023, around 1,179 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants have been reported in Taiwan. The crime rate in Taiwan increased from 1,139 incidents per 100,000 people in the previous year. Crime in Taiwan Over the last decade, the crime rate in Taiwan dropped significantly from 1,972 reported incidents per 100,000 inhabitants in 2008 to only 1,281 in 2013. In the following years, that downtrend weakened, but figures generally kept on decreasing. Compared to other countries, these numbers are in a medium range. Reported crimes per inhabitants in the United States, for example, were more than double that of Taiwan, although the crime rates in different states in the United States varied considerably. On the contrary, the crime rate in Singapore was only half as high as in Taiwan. However, it should be kept in mind that the definition of crime, the willingness to report crimes, and accounting measures may vary in different countries. Most common crimes in Taiwan Considering different types of crimes committed in Taiwan, excluding offenses against public safety, the most common crimes were drug and theft related. In contrast, the number of cases of murder and manslaughter were relatively low and comparable to other Asia Pacific countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. This is also due to the crime-clearing rate in Taiwan having improved considerably over the years and reached 97.1 percent in 2023.

In 2023, almost one out of three ever-partnered Turkish women had experienced domestic violence. In comparison, only 12 percent of women living in Switzerland had experienced domestic violence in their lifetime.

Handguns are the most common weapon type used in mass shootings in the United States, with a total of 167 different handguns being used in 117 incidents between 1982 and September 2024. These figures are calculated from a total of 151 reported cases over this period, meaning handguns are involved in about 78 percent of mass shootings. The involvement of semi-automatic rifles in mass shootings Owing to their use in several high-profile mass shootings, there has been much public discussion over the suitability or necessity of assault weapons for the purpose of self-defense. While any definition of assault weapon is contentious, semi-automatic rifles are generally the main focus of debates around this issue. Since 1982, there has been a known total 65 mass shootings involving rifles, mostly semi-automatics. This figure is underreported, however, as it excludes the multiple semi-automatic (and fully automatic) rifles used in the 2017 Las Vegas Strip massacre – the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, killing 58 and wounding 546. In fact, semi-automatic rifles were featured in four of the five deadliest mass shootings, being used in the Orlando nightclub massacre, Sandy Hook Elementary massacre and Texas First Baptist Church massacre. Mass shootings and gun control Despite evidence of strict gun control measures reducing the frequency and severity of mass shootings in countries like Australia, citizens in the United States remain deeply divided over the issue. According to a survey about the expected impact of gun laws on the number of mass shootings, a slim majority of Americans believe that gun control measures will have little-to-no effect. Most likely, this opinion is influenced by an underlying commitment among many in the U.S. to the greater importance of protecting gun ownership rights than limiting access to firearms. This sits in sharp contrast to many other developed countries. For example, most Canadians support a ban on civilian owned firearms.