Crime Wave Hits NT: Violent Offences Soar by 2.5% as Property Crime Plummets
- Vicious attacks, sexual assaults, and robberies on the rise in the Northern Territory, with an alarming 2.5% surge in violent crime
- Meanwhile, property crime drops by 5.4%, with theft, burglary, and property damage cases decreasing
- The Country Liberal Party government’s crime crackdown has yielded mixed results, with Darwin seeing a drop in property crime but Palmerston experiencing a worrying spike in violent offending
The latest crime statistics from the Northern Territory Police Force paint a grim picture, with a disturbing 2.5% increase in violent crime over the past year. The data reveals a total of 8,579 offences against the person, including assault, sexual assault, robbery, and homicide, between December 2024 and July 2025.
In contrast, property crime has decreased by 5.4%, with 13,365 offences reported during the same period, down from 14,133 in the previous year. The figures indicate a mixed bag for the **Country Liberal Party** government, which campaigned on a platform of community safety and introduced measures to toughen bail laws and increase penalties.
Despite the increase in prisoner numbers, with an average of 2,834 people behind bars daily in June 2025, nearly half of all prisoners are still awaiting sentencing, and a staggering 88% are Indigenous people. The government’s efforts to address crime have had varying levels of success, with Darwin experiencing a 11.6% reduction in property crime and a 0.2% decrease in violent crime.
However, the satellite city of Palmerston, where **Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro** resides, has seen a concerning 4.2% increase in violent offending and a 7.1% increase in property offences. Alice Springs, on the other hand, has reported a 7.5% reduction in offences against the person and a 6% decrease in property offences.
Rural areas of the NT have experienced increases of 9% in violent crime and 3% in property crime, while regional town centres like Katherine and Tennant Creek have seen mixed results, with crimes against the person increasing by 8% and 14.4% respectively, and property offences decreasing by 4.2% and 16%.
The NT’s crime landscape is a complex and multifaceted issue, and these latest statistics only serve to highlight the need for continued vigilance and a concerted effort to address the root causes of crime in the region.