Each year the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) survey a sample of the Australian population (aged 15 years and over) to determine the level of crime in the community. Crime victim surveys are useful in establishing the profile of groups likely to be victims of crime as well as giving an indication of the amount of crime occurring which is not reported to the police. The 2010-2011 survey¹ found that in NSW:

• There was an increase in the victimisation rate for assault, rising from 4.7% in 2009-10 to 5.2% in 2010-11, however this increase was not statistically significant.
• 54.6% of victims of physical assault reported the incident to police in 2010-11.
• Victimisation rates for several household crimes have significantly decreased from 2008-09 to 2010-11 (attempted break in, theft from motor vehicle, malicious damage to property as well as other theft).

Another survey conducted by the ABS focussing specifically on victims in NSW² found:

• Males are more likely to be victims of personal crime³ than are females. In 2008 in New South Wales 5.0% of males experienced a personal crime compared with only 3.4% of females.
• Elderly people are the group least likely to be victims of a crime against the person. Around 1.0% of the New South Wales population aged 65 years or over was the victim of a personal crime in 2008.
• Young males have the highest rate of personal crime victimisation. Of men aged between 15 and 24, 8.5% experienced a crime against the person in 2008.

These findings are displayed in the figure below which shows the percentage of people in each age group who were victims of a personal crime in the twelve months to April 2008.