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 Shellharbour'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 Shellharbour'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 Shellharbour compares
- 9 of 12 major offences below the NSW rate3 are above NSW: sexual touching/other sexual offences, steal from motor vehicle, and motor vehicle theft.
- Local policing
- NSW Police — Lake Illawarra 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 | 373 | 457.3 | 554.7 | 0.82× |
| Domestic violence related assault | 303 | 371.5 | 451.9 | 0.82× |
| Other stealing offences | 293 | 359.2 | 463.1 | 0.78× |
| Steal from retail store | 286 | 350.6 | 372.5 | 0.94× |
| Steal from motor vehicle | 267 | 327.3 | 295.5 | 1.11× |
| Non-DV related assault | 230 | 282.0 | 401.8 | 0.70× |
| Break & enter (dwelling) | 168 | 206.0 | 212.3 | 0.97× |
| Motor vehicle theft | 144 | 176.5 | 171.2 | 1.03× |
| Sexual assault | 119 | 145.9 | 154.4 | 0.94× |
| Sexual touching & other sexual offences | 106 | 130.0 | 104.1 | 1.25× |
| Break & enter (non-dwelling) | 46 | 56.4 | 91.8 | 0.61× |
| Robbery | 10 | 12.3 | 20.6 | 0.60× |
Major offences in Shellharbour 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' = Shellharbour 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. 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 — Shellharbour 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.