A report in the Sunday Age (State's grim reality: homicide rate tops nation; Sunday 14th March 2010) claimed that Victoria has the highest homicide rate in the country, and that on a per 100,000 population basis, Victoria's homicide rate is three and a half times higher that that of New South Wales. But discrepancies between recording practices in different states means that the reality is not as alarming as reported. Deputy Commissioner (Crime) Sir Ken Jones explains:

It is very difficult to provide accurate state by state, or country by country, comparisons for homicide due mainly to differences in recording practices. In Victoria we have always publicly reported a broad group of offences within the category of homicide. Many jurisdictions, in Australia and elsewhere, employ different practices. These differences need to be borne in mind when interpreting the total number of homicides which we report each year. Our homicide category includes a number of offences where peoples lives have been taken unlawfully: such as murder (which includes attempts and incitement to murder ) manslaughter, culpable driving, driving at dangerous speeds - or dangerous manner - which causes death. In 2008 we recorded 67 offences where death had been caused by culpable driving of some sort.

Our recent publication: Victoria Police Crime Statistics 2008/2009 shows this level of detail in Figure 20 on page 19. Figure 20 reports that we recorded 100 offences of murder (which includes conspiracy to murder, attempted murder and incitement to murder) in 2008. Our website also has comprehensive information on how all these categories of offences have been tracking for the last ten years. The 2008 figure of 100 murders is just 2 more than in 2007 and 10 less than 1999. (The figure peaked in 2001 at 137). Over half of this category of offence results from violence within families, and between people who know each other, which we are keen to drive down. Commentary on these statistics ought to draw on the detail we publish.

in 2008 the murder rate per 100,000 in the State of Victoria was 1.88 which sits well in comparison with any similar jurisdiction. When we exclude attempts at murder and incitement to murder the figure is much lower. We also need to bear in mind that the population of the State of Victoria has grown from 4,750,000 in 2000 to 5,400,00 in 2010. An increase of 13%. In 1999 we recorded a figure of 110 in the murder sub-category, if this figure had grown in line with the population growth it would now be 124. As previously stated it stands at 100, which indicates a reduction in the risk of becoming a victim of murder in the State of Victoria when risks in 1999 and 2010 are compared.

Sir Ken Jones
QPM
Deputy Commissioner Crime

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