Crime & safety
The authoritative source for crime in NSW is the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR), which publishes recorded incidents reported to or detected by NSW Police. Below are Coffs Harbour's 12 major offences for the 12 months from April 2025 to March 2026 (the year ending March 2026), with each rate (per 100,000 people) placed next to the NSW rate. The 'vs NSW' column is Coffs Harbour's rate divided by the NSW rate: 1.0 means the same as NSW, below 1.0 is lower than NSW, above 1.0 is higher.
New to these terms? Read them in plain English
- Rate per 100,000
- Crime counts adjusted for population, so different-sized places can be compared.
- Compared to NSW (×)
- How the local rate compares to the NSW average (1.0 = the same).
- Recorded incident
- An incident reported to police — not a proven charge or conviction.
- Major offence categories
- The high-level offence groups official rates are calculated for.
- Police Area Command / Police District
- The local NSW Police command responsible for an area.
- BOCSAR
- The official source of NSW recorded-crime data.
- Reporting period
- April 2025 to March 2026 (12 months)Latest BOCSAR recorded-crime release.
- How Coffs Harbour compares
- All 12 major offences above the NSW rateImportant context: rates are per resident population, but Coffs Harbour is the Mid North Coast's main service, retail and visitor centre — its shops, hospital, transport and tourism draw people from a wide surrounding region, so incidents recorded here are divided by a comparatively small resident base.
- Where it's highest
- Robbery (2.09×), break & enter non-dwelling (1.84×), DV assault (1.64×)Every category sits above the NSW rate this period.
- Local policing
- NSW Police — Coffs/Clarence Police District
- Latest figures & other areas
- BOCSAR Crime Mapping ToolBuild a tailored report and compare any LGA to the NSW rate.
| Offence | Incidents | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malicious damage to property | 654 | 804.9 | 554.7 | 1.45× |
| Domestic violence related assault | 601 | 739.7 | 451.9 | 1.64× |
| Non-DV related assault | 462 | 568.6 | 401.8 | 1.42× |
| Other stealing offences | 444 | 546.5 | 463.1 | 1.18× |
| Steal from retail store | 398 | 489.9 | 372.5 | 1.32× |
| Steal from motor vehicle | 343 | 422.2 | 295.5 | 1.43× |
| Break & enter (dwelling) | 271 | 333.5 | 212.3 | 1.57× |
| Motor vehicle theft | 215 | 264.6 | 171.2 | 1.55× |
| Sexual assault | 193 | 237.5 | 154.4 | 1.54× |
| Break & enter (non-dwelling) | 137 | 168.6 | 91.8 | 1.84× |
| Sexual touching & other sexual offences | 134 | 164.9 | 104.1 | 1.58× |
| Robbery | 35 | 43.1 | 20.6 | 2.09× |
Major offences in Coffs Harbour vs the NSW rate, per 100,000 population, for the 12 months from April 2025 to March 2026. Source: BOCSAR LGA & NSW recorded-crime tables. 'vs NSW' = Coffs Harbour rate ÷ NSW rate.
BOCSAR calculates rates only for these 'major offences', so high-volume justice offences (e.g. breach of bail or AVO) aren't rate-compared here. Recorded incidents are counted where the offence occurs, not where the offender or victim lives, so a regional service centre with a large retail, health and visitor economy tends to record higher per-resident rates than purely residential areas. These are recorded incidents, not convictions, and counts move with population and reporting. For the latest figures, trends and other offence types, use BOCSAR's tools below.
Sources — check it yourself
- BOCSAR — Coffs Harbour LGA crime table (XLSX) · Apr 2025 to Mar 2026
- BOCSAR — NSW recorded-crime table (XLSX) · Apr 2025 to Mar 2026
- BOCSAR — Crime statistics by LGA · Updated quarterly
- BOCSAR — Crime Mapping Tool (compare to NSW)
Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.