Queensland is now the crime capital of Australia, according to a new study which shows a significant increase in violent crime driven by young offenders.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed on Thursday 289,657 Queenslanders had been the victims of crime in 2023 with more assaults and home break-ins than any other state.
An increase in assaults, sexual assaults, kidnappings, robberies, blackmail, break-ins and thefts saw the total number of victims jump 13 per cent compared to the year before.
It also saw the state’s residents become the most likely to experience robberies, break-ins and vehicle thefts – most of which were committed by juvenile offenders.
The shocking statistics come as Queensland faces a youth crime crisis highlighted by a report published by the state’s auditor-general.
The report found 55 per cent of all youth crime in the state from 2022-23 had been committed by ‘serious repeat offenders’.
It also reported the average daily number of serious repeat offenders had jumped by 64 per cent from 278 in 2018-19 to 457 in 2022-23.
The grim statistics prompted the Miles government on Friday to unveil a new four-year youth justice strategy and the state’s first Victims’ Commissioner.
Police data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics has revealed Queenslanders were victims of more crimes than any other state across Australia last year (pictured, file image)
The ABS statistics found that of the almost 50,000 break-ins recorded, more than 34,000 occurred at the victim’s home, of which more than half resulted in stolen property.
A further 151,501 people experienced retail theft or theft from another person, an increase of 25,107 from 2022 – making it the highest level on record.
The 18,201 victims of motor vehicle thefts was also the state’s highest amount since 2000.
Despite only being on record since 2022, victims of assaults also increased by over 6,000 in just one year.
The statistics also revealed about 30,000 more Queenslanders experienced crime than second place NSW despite having about 3million less residents.
Those figures also uncover about 5.2 per cent of all Queenslanders were victims of a crime, the third highest in the nation.
Western Australia – with about 2.6million less people – had a slightly higher rate of about 5.4 per cent while the Northern Territory sits at about 7.8 per cent – 19,782 victims among 253,634 residents.
The day after the statistics were released, the Miles Government announced Rebecca O’Connor, who is the CEO of DVConnect and Victim Connect, would be appointed as the state’s first Victims’ Commissioner.
An increase in assaults, sexual assaults, robberies, blackmail, break ins and thefts saw the total number of victims jump 13 per cent since last year to just under 300,000 (pictured, file image)
The establishment of her office cost the government $18million while a further $2.97million was given to ‘support the Victims’ Commissioner’s functions’.
‘The independent Victims’ Commissioner will conduct systemic reviews and importantly will consult with victims of crime on matters relating to them,’ Queensland’s attorney-general Yvette D’Ath said.
‘Ms O’Connor will make recommendations and provide advice to the Attorney-General about those areas of responsibility and monitor the implementation of those recommendations.’
Just hours later, the 2024-2028 Youth Justice Strategy was revealed by the state’s education and youth justice minister Di Farmer.
The plan looks to ‘to tackle the root causes of crime and support community safety’.
‘The Intensive Bail Initiative, expansion of Electronic Monitoring and other amendments made to the Youth Justice Act will ensure serious repeat offenders are held to account for their actions,’ Ms Farmer said in a statement.
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