Are crime rates in Western Sydney really out of control? > Check the facts

Share

Who: “Under Labor crime is out of control in Western Sydney” Liberal party facebook page.

The claim: Crime has increased under the Labor government and is now out of control.

The facts: Crime in Western Sydney is not out of control, it has remained stable or reduced in the last five years. Furthermore, street crime is not the responsibility of the federal government.

Discussion of evidence: Although the Australian government has undertaken initiatives to reduce crime in Australia, the primary responsibility for street crime rests upon the states and territories. It is their constitutional responsibility to maintain order and protect individuals.

Furthermore, crime in Western Sydney is not out of control under Labor. In the past five years while Labor has been in power, crime in Western Sydney has either reduced or remained stable. In no area of Western Sydney has crime increased, as can be seen in the table below.

Violent offences over the 60 months to March 2013:

Metropolitan Statistical Subdivision Annual % change over the last 2 years Annual % change over the last 5 years
Canterbury-Bankstown Stable Stable
Fairfield-Liverpool Stable Stable
Outer South Western Sydney Stable -5.5%
Inner Western Sydney Stable -6.4%
Central Western Sydney Stable Stable
Outer Western Sydney Stable Stable

Between the Lines Newsletter

The biggest stories and the best analysis from the team at the Australia Institute, delivered to your inbox every fortnight.

You might also like

It shouldn’t be this difficult to condemn plans to commit a crime against humanity

by Ebony Bennett in The Canberra Times

Australians, by and large, have seen America as an ally critical to our national security. But in just a few short weeks, Donald Trump has shown his administration is a threat to Australia and the world’s security. Australia may not be able to stop Trump from creating chaos, but we will undermine our own security if we don’t stand up for ourselves and for our values.