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Canberra Today 14°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Assaults on rise in ACT

THE number of people being physically assaulted in the ACT is increasing but the territory has the second-lowest rate of assaults in the country, according to new data.police

The 2012-13 Crime Victimisation survey, released yesterday, shows a total of 7700 people were reported as victims of physical assault throughout 2012-13; compared with five years earlier, when 7500 victims were recorded.

However just 2.6 per cent of Canberrans identified as being a victim of assault in the 12 months prior to the survey – below the national average of 2.7 per cent and the second lowest in the country.

This national survey involved 30,749 people across Australia and 1,315 ACT residents. The survey presents rates of victimisation, with respondents asked to recall any incidents of crime that they experienced 12 months prior to the date of the survey interview.

Attorney-General Simon Corbell says the data in this ABS publication includes crimes reported to police.

“However, it also highlights those incidents that, for a variety of reasons, victims do not report to police,” Mr Corbell said.

The ACT’s 2012-13 victimisation rate was below the national average on a range of offence types including physical assault (ACT 2.6 per cent – National 2.7 per cent), threatened non face to face assault (ACT 0.7 per cent – National 1.1 per cent), motor vehicle theft (ACT 0.4 per cent – National 0.6 per cent), theft from a motor vehicle (ACT 2.5 per cent – National 3.1 per cent), and other theft (ACT 2.5 per cent – National 2.8 per cent).

 

 

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