AIC reports

AIC reports Statistical report 02

Homicide in Australia 2012–13 to 2013–14: National Homicide Monitoring Program report

Willow Bryant & Samantha Bricknell © Australian Institute of Criminology 2017 ISSN (Online) 2206-7930

Executive summary

In the 25th year of the National Homicide Monitoring Program (NHMP) data collection, this report describes the nature and context of homicides that occurred in financial years 2012–13 and 2013–14, and trends in homicide victimisation and offending since 1989–90. Although much of the data are presented in the aggregate, certain figures for each financial year are provided to aid the monitoring of trends. Ongoing monitoring of homicide locates short-term changes within a longer timeframe, and allows policymakers and law enforcement personnel to identify changes in risk markers associated with incidents, victims and offenders.

The overall number of homicide incidents continues to decline. In 2013–14, the homicide incident rate reached a historical low of one per 100,000 people since the NHMP data collection began in 1989–90.

This report’s key findings include:

from 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2014, there were 487 homicide incidents (one or more persons are killed in the same place and at the same time)—249 in 2012–13 and 238 in 2013–14 — 244 homicide incidents per annum;

these incidents involved 512 victims and 549 offenders—264 victims and 276 offenders in 2012–13 and 248 victims and 273 offenders in 2013–14 — 257 victims and 275 offenders per annum;

since 1989–90, homicide incident rates have decreased from 1.8 per 100,000 to 1.1 in 2012–13, and again to one in 2013–14;

males remain over-represented as both victims (n=328; 64%) and offenders (n=483; 88%);

in 2013–14, males were victimised at the rate of 1.3 per 100,000, the lowest rate recorded since 1989–90 (2.5 per 100,000). The rate of female victimisation was 0.8 per 100,000 in 2013–14;

knives continue to be the most commonly used weapon, with 37 percent (n=89) of all homicide incidents in 2013–14 involving knives or sharp instruments;

during the 2012–14 period, approximately a fifth (n=69; 14%) of homicide incidents involved the use of a firearm. This is a decrease of 11 percent in the use of firearms in homicide incidents since 1989–90 (n=76; 25%), and a decrease of one percent since 2011–12;

in 2012–14, the most common relationship between a homicide offender and a victim was a domestic relationship (41%; n=200), followed by an acquaintance (27%; n=133). Thirteen percent (n=62) of homicide incidents were stranger homicides (which includes homicide incidents involving those known to each other for less than 24 hours);

of the 200 domestic homicide incidents recorded in 2012–14, 63 percent (n=126) were classified as intimate partner homicides, 15 percent as Filicides (n=30, 14 of which involved the death of a child under one year of age), 11 percent as parricides (n=21), eight percent as other family (n=16; includes aunts/uncles, in-laws, cousins etc) and four percent as siblicides (n=7);

females continue to be over-represented as victims of intimate partner homicide (n=99; 79%), while males are still over-represented as victims of acquaintance (83%; n=116) and stranger homicide (92%; n=58);

42 children aged 17 years and younger were killed in 2012–14 — 21 children killed per annum ;

78 victims (46 males and 32 females) and 91 offenders (75 males and 16 females) in 2012– 14 were Indigenous Australians. Indigenous people remain over-represented as both victims of homicide and homicide offenders. At a national level, the rate of Indigenous victimisation in 2013–14 (4.9 per 100,000) was approximately five times higher than non-Indigenous victimisation (0.9 per 100,000);

eight in ten homicide incidents were not committed in the course of another crime (n=408; 84%). A fifth of homicide incidents where a precipitating crime was known and recorded were committed during the course of another crime, such as a break and enter (n=15; 19%), robbery (n=14; 18%), other violent crime (n=11; 14%) or sexual assault (n=10; 13%); and

a fifth of offenders had a prior history of domestic violence (n=106; 19%) or mental illness (n=70; 13%) at the time of the homicide incident.

iii Homicide in Australia 2012–13 to 2013–14: National Homicide Monitoring Program report

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