New CSA research on crimes against older people in Victoria

2 October 2018

The number of crimes committed against people aged 65 or older in Victoria has increased over the past 10 years, even when even taking into account an ageing population, research released today by the Crime Statistics Agency shows.

More than 140,000 crimes were committed against older people during the past ten years, with the greatest number recorded during 2016 (18,427).

The most commonly recorded crime involving an older person was theft, followed by burglary, property damage, and assault.

Crime Statistics Agency Chief Statistician Fiona Dowsley said the study found that an older person was more likely to know the perpetrator for crimes against the person compared to property and deception offences.

“Our research found that in close to two-thirds of crimes against the person the victim knew the perpetrator, while this was the case for less than five per cent of property and deception offences,” Ms Dowsley said.

“Around one in three assaults against older people were committed by a family member, with the majority of these cases perpetrated by a child against their parent,” she said.

“The study found that some types of offences were more likely to be committed against those aged 85 or older, with the largest proportion of victims aged 85 years and over recorded for sexual offences (33.9%),” she said.

“Close to 60 per cent of sexual offences took place at a nursing home or healthcare facility, as did nine per cent of assaults.”

Overall, fifty-seven per cent of crimes against the person took place in a residential location, while this was the case for sixty-two per cent of property and deception offences.

Background

The paper Crimes against older people in Victoria was released today. It examined all offences recorded by Victoria Police that occurred during the 10 years to 31 December 2017 where the recorded victim was a person aged 65 or older.

For further information please contact:
Melanie Millsteed, Crime Statistics Agency Research and Evaluation Manager
Phone: (03) 8684 1828
Email: melanie.millsteed@crimestatistics.vic.gov.au (External link)