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 Walgett'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. These are recorded incidents, not convictions. The 'vs NSW' column is Walgett'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.
Safety at a glance
- Reporting period
- April 2025 to March 2026 (12 months)Latest BOCSAR recorded-crime release. Figures are recorded incidents reported to or detected by NSW Police — not convictions.
- How Walgett compares
- 1 of 12 major offences below the NSW rateThe offence below the NSW rate is robbery (1 recorded incident, 0.88×). The other 11 major offences are above the NSW rate.
- Highest counts locally
- Domestic violence related assault (154), malicious damage to property (137), break and enter — dwelling (91)These are the three highest-volume major offences in the LGA over the period.
- How to read a rate at this population
- At 5,497 people, one recorded incident is about 18 per 100,000This cuts both ways: the same arithmetic that lifts a rate sharply when a handful of extra incidents are recorded also drops it sharply when a handful fewer are. For example, about 12 recorded break-and-enter (dwelling) incidents in a year would equal the NSW rate of 212.3 per 100,000. Read the counts first and the rates second, and treat single-year movements with caution.
- Reporting rates differ by offence
- Recorded incidents depend on what is reportedBOCSAR counts incidents that come to police attention. The share of incidents that are reported varies between offence types, and this particularly affects domestic-violence and sexual offences, where reporting rates are known to differ from other categories.
- Local policing
- Central North Police District (Western Region)Walgett, Lightning Ridge and Collarenebri police stations sit within the NSW Police Central North Police District. Confirm exact boundaries with NSW Police or on the BOCSAR mapping tool.
| Offence | Incidents | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic violence related assault | 154 | 2,801.5 | 451.9 | 6.20× |
| Malicious damage to property | 137 | 2,492.3 | 554.7 | 4.49× |
| Break & enter (dwelling) | 91 | 1,655.4 | 212.3 | 7.80× |
| Non-domestic violence related assault | 80 | 1,455.3 | 401.8 | 3.62× |
| Other stealing offences | 61 | 1,109.7 | 463.1 | 2.40× |
| Steal from motor vehicle | 55 | 1,000.5 | 295.5 | 3.39× |
| Sexual assault | 33 | 600.3 | 154.4 | 3.89× |
| Motor vehicle theft | 32 | 582.1 | 171.2 | 3.40× |
| Break & enter (non-dwelling) | 28 | 509.4 | 91.8 | 5.55× |
| Sexual touching, sexual act and other sexual offences | 26 | 473.0 | 104.1 | 4.54× |
| Steal from retail store | 23 | 418.4 | 372.5 | 1.12× |
| Robbery | 1 | 18.2 | 20.6 | 0.88× |
Major offences in Walgett vs the NSW rate, per 100,000 population, for the 12 months from April 2025 to March 2026, sorted by number of recorded incidents. These are recorded incidents, not convictions. Source: BOCSAR LGA & NSW recorded-crime tables. 'vs NSW' = Walgett 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 per-100,000 rates are sensitive to population size — at Walgett's population of 5,497, a single recorded incident is worth about 18 per 100,000. We publish the sourced counts and rates, the period they cover and the caveats needed to read them; we do not offer an explanation for them. For the latest figures, multi-year trends and other offence types, use BOCSAR's own tools below.
Sources — check it yourself
- BOCSAR — Walgett 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)
- NSW Police Force — Central North Police District
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.