A shocking new report has confirmed what many locals already suspected - crime is on the rise across the region.
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A new report by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) reveals rates of assault, break and enter, vehicle theft and shoplifting are on the rise in the Far West and Orana region.
According to the data, motor vehicle theft in the region has climbed by 33.8 per cent over the past five years, stealing from retail stores has increased by 21.4 per cent and break and enter of non-dwellings increased by 13 per cent.
Both domestic and non-domestic violence related assaults rose, by 16.5 and 18.5 per cent respectively.
The only crime which has decreased in the number of reported incidents over the period was other stealing offences, which dropped by 15.5 per cent.
![Car theft, break and enter and assaults were among the crimes on the rise in Dubbo. Pictures via Shutterstock/from file Car theft, break and enter and assaults were among the crimes on the rise in Dubbo. Pictures via Shutterstock/from file](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/137578502/d2af07a8-2b24-43c6-8e3b-3d8625382331.png/r0_0_2250_1270_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Jackie Fitzgerald, executive director of the NSW BOCSAR, said the rise in these crimes in the Far West and Orana region was in line with statewide trends.
Domestic and non-domestic violence assaults rose in 12 of 13 regional areas and car theft rose in eight of 13.
"The increase in reports of domestic violence related assaults in NSW is due to an increase in reported family violence, together with an escalation of intimate partner assaults," Ms Fitzgerald explained.
"Non-domestic assaults have increased against adult women and young people.
"Looking at where these offences are occurring, we've seen an increase on residential premises and school premises ."
Assaults and property damage rise in Dubbo
In the Dubbo local government area, rates of non-domestic violence assaults rose by 33.7 per cent and malicious damage to property rose by 21.8 percent in the two years until March 2024.
Between March 2023 and March 2024, there were 688 domestic violence assaults, 619 non-domestic violence assaults, 103 sexual assaults, 101 other sex offences, 23 robberies and one murder reported in Dubbo.
There were 531 break and enters of homes, 245 break and enters of non-dwellings, 271 motor vehicle thefts, 459 incidents of stealing from cars, 440 shoplifting incidents and 1,117 property damage offences.
Meanwhile, Bathurst had a 24.7 per cent increase in sexual assaults over the same period - rising to 91 reported offences.
Ms Fitzgerald said this also reflects a statewide trend.
"Concerningly, of the four major criminal offences categories on the rise, sexual assault has shown the largest increase over the past five years with 42 per cent more incidents reported in the year to March 2024 compared with five years ago in the year to March 2020," she said.
Orange, on the other hand, had a 31.8 per cent drop in domestic violence related assaults and 30.2 per cent drop in theft from motor vehicle.
Compared to the NSW average, Dubbo had a higher rate of incidents per 100,000 people of murder, domestic and non-domestic violence assault, robbery, break and enter, motor vehicle theft, stealing from motor vehicles, shoplifting and property damage.
The crime with the highest ratio of incidents per 100,000 people in Dubbo was break and enter of non-dwelling at 4.2 and break and enter of dwelling at 3.8 and property damage at 3.3.
The full report can be found on the BOCSAR website.