THE Coffs Harbour-Grafton area has experienced a 70 percent increase in recorded domestic violence-related assaults over the past five years.

There has also been a 65.7 percent jump in sexual assaults over the same period for the statistical area, which includes Bellingen.

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Motor vehicle theft has leapt 51.4 percent, while non-domestic violence-related assaults and the category of ‘sexual touching, sexual act and other sexual offences’, which includes bestiality, incest and carnal knowledge, have both seen an increase of around eighteen percent.

The figures are from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research’s (BoCSR) NSW Recorded Crime Statistics update for the March 2024 quarter.

BoCSR Executive Director, Jackie Fitzgerald, said the Coffs Harbour-Grafton area percentage increases for domestic violence and sexual assaults were among the largest in the State over the past five years.

“We can’t rule out more people coming forward to report incidents, or unfortunately possibly more offending in the community, or a combination of both,” Ms Fitzgerald said.

“There are certainly socio-economic factors at play in terms of domestic violence and sexual assaults.

“We do consistently see higher rates of crime in more disadvantaged areas and in the regions generally.”

Locally, in the twelve months to March 2020 there were 707 domestic violence assaults, 735 non-domestic violence assaults and 172 sexual assaults recorded.

Jump forward five years and the corresponding figures for the twelve months to March 2024 are 1202 domestic violence assaults, 871 non-domestic violence assaults and 285 sexual assaults recorded.

There were 486 car thefts recorded in the twelve months to March 2024, compared to 321 five years ago.

Ms Fitzgerald said the Coffs Harbour-Grafton area’s rate of domestic violence was 80 percent higher than the State average.

“Obviously that’s a pretty concerning figure and it’s amongst the highest in the State,” Ms Fitzgerald said.

“Similarly, sexual assault in the Coffs Harbour-Grafton area is now 70 percent higher than the State average.”

Statewide, over the five years to March 2024, reported incidents of four major criminal offences increased significantly:
1. Domestic assault reports increased 15.4 percent (up 3.7 percent/year on average), rising in eleven of thirteen regional NSW locations and seven of fifteen Greater Sydney locations.
2. Non-domestic assault reports increased 7.8 per cent (up 1.9 percent/per year on average), rising in twelve of thirteen regional NSW locations and four of fifteen Greater Sydney locations.
3. Sexual assault reports increased 42.1 percent (up 9.2 percent/year on average), rising in ten of the thirteen NSW regional locations and fourteen of the fifteen Greater Sydney locations.
4. Motor Vehicle theft increased 8.5 percent (up 2.1 percent/year on average), rising in eight of the thirteen regional locations and three of the fifteen Greater Sydney locations.

By Mike HELY