Australia records second-lowest yearly homicide rate in over 30 years

Australia has recorded its second-lowest yearly homicide rate since reporting began, marking an overall decrease of more than 50 per cent in the last three decades.

New statistics released today by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) have revealed that in the latest reporting period – from July 2020 to June 2021 – there were 210 registered homicides, down some 51 deaths on the previous year.

COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns may have played a part in that decrease, but rates are continuing to decline overall, with numbers today 55 per cent lower than in the 1989-1990 reporting period, AIC Deputy Director Dr Rick Brown said.

Homicide detectives are investigating claims a woman was assaulted before she collapsed and died in Perth's CBD. — Australia has reported its second lowest yearly homicide rate since records began. (9News)

“The report shows that in 2020‒21, which included various stages of COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, Australia saw the second lowest homicide incident rate since we began reporting (0.82 per 100,000),” Brown said.

“The female intimate partner homicide rate was 0.25 per 100,000 – the lowest rate since the AIC’s National Homicide Monitoring Program commenced in 1990.

“Ten per cent of homicide victims identified as Indigenous.

“The report found that the clearance rate for these incidents was the same as it was for homicide incidents involving non-Indigenous victims – 90 per cent at the time of reporting.”

Detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad, assisted by the Homicide Squad, established Strike Force Wandearah to investigate the circumstance surrounding the tragedy. — There were 210 registered homicides in 2020 to 2021, down some 51 deaths on the previous year. (9News)

Of the 210 homicides, a total of 263 offenders were recorded in the latest reporting period.

The National Homicide Monitoring Program is the nation’s only national data collection on homicide incidents, victims and offenders.

All data relates to murder or manslaughter charges, murder-suicides classed as murder by police, road accidents including driving causing death and all other deaths classed as homicides by police.