Malicious Damage to Property Offences in New South Wales

In the 24 months to December 2005 recorded incidents of malicious damage to property increased by eight per cent in NSW. This bulletin provides information about the nature of malicious damage to property incidents through a detailed analysis of police database records and narratives of incidents occurring in 2005. These data reveal that the most frequent targets of malicious damage are private dwellings, private vehicles and commercial buildings, and the most common features damaged at these locations are windows. One in ten malicious damage incidents involve graffiti, and in these cases schools and commercial buildings were often the target. Incidents of malicious damage where police were able to identify an offender typically involve young male offenders and often take place in the evening and on weekends. The median cost of police recorded malicious damage incidents as estimated by the victim is $300.