While the volume and rate of individual crime types has fluctuated over the past few years, overall, crime in Australia has been decreasing. The Australian Institute of Criminology’s Australian Crime: Facts & Figures: 2012 uses information compiled from a broad range of sources to create an accurate and holistic picture of crime and criminal justice issues in Australia. Within this volume are the patterns and trends relating to specific crimes, victims, offenders, the location of criminal acts, and the operation and cost of the criminal justice system (including the police, courts and prisons).

Among the statistical highlights, figures show that the number of recorded victims of sexual assault and robbery has decreased. Robbery decreased by seven per cent from 14,582 in 2009-10 to 13,617 in 2010-11, while there was a three per cent decrease in victims of sexual assault with 17,238 victims, 519 fewer victims than the previous year. However, in 2010-11, there were 67 more recorded victims of kidnapping and abduction. There were 14 more recorded victims of homicide than in 2009-10, but the rate remained at historically low levels at 1.2 per 100,000.