There isn't one single "crime capital," as it varies by offence, but Walgett Shire and the Far West/Orana regions consistently rank highest for overall crime rates in regional NSW, while areas like Mount Druitt and Blacktown (Western Sydney) often top violent crime and domestic violence lists within Sydney, though Sydney's overall rates are lower than regional areas. Walgett leads with very high alcohol-related incidents, while regional areas generally see higher property and violent crime compared to Sydney.
As of September 2018 the City of Blacktown (495.1) and City of Penrith (475.7) had the highest rates of violent crime per 100,000 in Sydney.
1. Which city in Australia has the highest crime rate? Rockhampton has the highest crime rate in Australia, with 132 per 1000 people. Some of the sources have also pointed to Alice Springs as the city with the highest crime rate.
FAQs About Domestic Violence Rates NSW
Mount Druitt in Western Sydney has consistently reported the highest number of domestic violence incidents, reflecting broader economic and social issues impacting the community.
NSW Safest Suburbs
Based on the 2021–22 PSS: more people have experienced violence by a male perpetrator (38% or 7.5 million people aged 18 years and over) than by a female perpetrator (11% or 2.2 million)
Women are most likely to be in an abusive relationship in their twenties – specifically ages 18 to 34.
While each state did show an increase in acts intended to cause injury, these are largely modest. For example, NSW rose from 440 per 100,000 people aged 10–17 in 2013–14 to 498 in 2023–24. But despite this increase, it's actually a drop compared to 2022–23, which recorded 516 per 100,000 aged 10–17.
Mungallala Methodist Church was built in 1964. It has now closed. In 2016, the Australian Taxation Office listed Mungallala as having the lowest mean taxable income by postcode, making it the poorest town in Australia, which led the ABC to do a documentary on the town for their online "storyhunters" program.
According to the latest National Homicide Monitoring Program report (July 2024 – June 2025), Australia saw a total of 277 homicides. Queensland had the highest number, with 111 victims, and Victoria wasn't far behind with 88 victims.
Adelaide is often regarded as the cheapest place to live in Australia, with lower living costs compared to major cities. Regional areas are becoming more popular due to remote work opportunities, making them affordable choices.
Sussan Ley recently declared Melbourne the 'crime capital of Australia'. But a closer analysis of the data shows a much more nuanced picture.
The Blacktown City Council suburbs of Bidwill, Hebersham and Emerton scored 56.5 out of 100 in Monash University's latest environmental health quality index (EQHI) – the lowest scores in metropolitan Sydney.
What Are the Top 10 Most Dangerous States in 2023?
Victims. In 2022/23 the CSEW estimates that females are significantly more likely to be victims of headline crime than males.
Past meta-analyses in the encyclopedia found males regardless of age engaged in more physical and verbal aggression while small effect for females engaging in more indirect aggression such as rumor spreading or gossiping. It also found males tend to engage in more unprovoked aggression at higher frequency than females.
It is estimated that 1 in 4 women (27%), and 1 in 8 men (12%) in Australia experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member since the age of 15 years (ABS Personal Safety Survey 2021-22 launch).
The most significantly underreported crime in Australia is sexual assault and sexual violence, with vast discrepancies between survey data (revealing millions of incidents) and police-recorded statistics (showing far fewer reports) due to high fear, shame, and perceived lack of support, making it a hidden epidemic despite increasing awareness. Domestic and family violence is also highly underreported, often linked to power dynamics and fear, while child sexual abuse remains a critical hidden issue.
Gender inequality, including harmful gender norms, are key drivers of violence against women. It is mostly men who are the perpetrators of violence and this violence is against women.
Psychological abuse, which is one of the most common forms of domestic violence experienced by men, usually targets a man's masculinity. Men are usually accused of not being “manly” enough, not making enough money, being weak, or crying when abused.
Other factors that affect crime rate include registration of complaint, cognisance of offence, which differs in different states. Among states, Kerala has the highest crime rate, and Nagaland has the lowest crime rate in 2022.
1. Blacktown. Blacktown continues to record one of the highest volumes of crime in Sydney, with over 13,400 incidents in 2024 (up around 4% from the previous year).
World's most dangerous cities, by crime rate 2025
In 2025, Pietermaritzburg in South Africa ranked as the world's most dangerous city with a crime rate of 82 per 100,000 inhabitants. Five of the 10 cities with the highest crime rates worldwide are found in South Africa.