SYDNEY, March 18 (NNN-XINHUA) — Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) recorded 85 murders in 2024, the highest number in a decade and an increase from 58 murders in 2023, according to the state’s Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR).
Sydney’s eastern suburbs reported the highest number of murders, largely due to the Bondi Junction stabbing attack in April 2024, which accounted for six of the nine murders in the area, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Tuesday.
Of the 85 victims, 46 were men, 26 were women, and 13 were children or young people, BOCSAR said, adding domestic violence-related murders made up nearly 46 percent of all cases.
Delia Donovan, CEO of Domestic Violence NSW, called for urgent funding increases for specialist support services, stating that “ending violence costs money, but not investing is costing lives.”
The report also noted a rise in multiple murder incidents, with eight cases involving 22 victims, half of whom were killed in domestic violence-related situations.
BOCSAR Executive Director Jackie Fitzgerald described the spike as “unusually high” but cautioned that murder rates fluctuate year to year, and the 2024 murder rate was “not necessarily an upward trend in murder.”
Despite the surge in murders, there were no significant increases in other crime categories over the past two years, with theft from vehicles even dropping by 8 percent, BOCSAR said, adding property crimes such as break-ins and theft have declined in NSW. — NNN-XINHUA
