Introduction

Crime in Victoria, Australia, has been making headlines, and Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) stated that the number of offences recorded by Victoria police in the year 31 December, 2024 was 605,640. This is a 15% jump from the previous year, hitting the highest rate since 2016. This surge, driven by things like car thefts and youth crime, has everyone talking. But what’s the story behind the numbers, especially when it comes to gender? This interactive slideshow draws on open data from the CSA to explore gender patterns in crime across Victoria from 2016 to 2025. We analyse how men and women appear in the statistics both as alleged offenders and as victims, focusing on major offence categories such as assault and theft. By examining gender-based offence incidents alongside victim reports, we uncover the trends, disparities, and shifts shaping the conversation about crime in Victoria today.

Audience: This project is aimed at policymakers, law enforcement, and researchers who require a clear picture of gender dynamics in Victorian crime. It also provides an accessible story for the wider public, helping to understand who is most affected, both as offenders and as victims.

Data is sourced from Crime Statistics Agency (CSA), Victoria.

Victim Reports by Gender

• On the victim side, the picture is more balanced. Since 2020, male and female victim reports have been trending closer to parity, especially in theft-related offences. This tells us that while men are far more likely to be the offenders, victimisation is something that increasingly affects both genders at similar rates.

• This highlights a critical shift: Offending is still male-dominated, but victimisation is becoming a shared social burden.

Offence Incidents by Gender and Offence Types

• Over time, the story of crime in Victoria shows a clear gender split. Men consistently account for the majority of offender incidents, making up around 4 out of 5 recorded cases yearly. This gap remains steady.

Victim reports by Gender and Offence Type

• When we look at victim reports by offence type and gender, the picture gets clearer. Assault victims are quite balanced for both female and male. Similarly, theft also has balanced gender distribution, with men and women reporting incidents at similar levels.

Offender Age Distribution (2025)

In 2025, crime in Victoria was driven mostly by adults. The 18-24 years age group stands out as the biggest group of offenders, followed closely by people in their 30s (30-34).

Victim Age Distribution (2025)

In 2025, the largest share of victims were adults between 25 to 44 years old, showing that this is the age range most exposed to crimes like assault and theft. Younger people under 24 also make up a significant portion, reflecting vulnerabilities among students and early workers.

Insights

• Trends: Males consistently dominate offender incidents, while victim reports show near gender parity post 2020, reflecting a shift in victimization patterns.

• Offences: Assaults are male-heavy, but female theft reports have risen, especially post 2020.

• Demographics: Young adults (18-24) and 30s(30-34) years dominate offender and 25-44 years dominate victim age groups.

Conclusion

This interactive slideshow has provided a comprehensive look at gender disparities in Victorian crime between 2016 and 2025, drawing on open data from the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) Victoria. Several critical insights emerged: males accounted for around 80% of assault-related offender incidents, while victim reports have shifted closer to gender parity since 2020, particularly in theft-related offences.

These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted prevention strategies such as addressing youth offending, supporting vulnerable women, and recognising gendered victimisation trends. This analysis offers a powerful evidence base for policymakers, researchers, and the public to better understand and respond to the evolving dynamics of crime in Victoria.

REFERENCES

3AW News. (2025, March 21). Victoria’s crime rate jumps 15% in 2024, highest since 2016. 3AW. https://www.3aw.com.au

Crime Statistics Agency. (2025). Victorian crime statistics – Data tables (Year ending March 2025). Crime Statistics Agency Victoria. https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/crime-statistics/latest-victorian-crime-data/download-data

Crime Statistics Agency. (2025, March 20). Key figures: Year ending December 2024 [Media release]. Crime Statistics Agency Victoria. https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/media-centre/news/key-figures-year-ending-december-2024

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