NSW murder rates soar to decade-high due to 'unusually high' sprees

New South Wales' murder rate has reached its highest level in a decade after multiple major deadly crimes last year, including the Bondi Westfield stabbing massacre.

The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR), in its quarterly December 2024 report published today, found 85 people were killed in 2024 — the most since 93 people were murdered in 2014.

Of those 85 people — 46 men, 26 women, 13 young people and children — 45.9 per cent were domestic violence-related and 22 of them were killed across eight incidents affecting multiple victims.

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In comparison, in the 14 years prior to 2024, there were on average two multiple-victim murder events each year.

BOSCAR executive director Jackie Fitzgerald said the murder rates were "one unfortunate outlier in the latest crime statistics".

"The large number of murders in 2024 is due to an unusually high number of events involving multiple murder victims; with the incident in April 2024 at the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre accounting for six victims alone," she said.

Six people were killed by lone attacker Joel Cauchi at the Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney on April 13, 2024.

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BOSCAR also found domestic violence assault was up 3.1 per cent per year on average and sexual assault increased up 8.8 per cent per year on average in the 10 years.

The 13 major crime categories remained at a steady rate over the past two years to the December quarter.

"For many offences, the recent stable trend follows years of decline," Fitzgerald said.

"As a consequence, recorded incidents of robbery, break and enter, general stealing and malicious damage to property are all much lower than a decade ago."

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