If you are murdered then you are almost certain to know your killer.

Your murderer will likely be a friend, acquaintance or partner.

New figures released by the Australian Institute of Criminology show that 70% of the time a homicide victim knew their perpetrator for a considerable amount of time before they were killed.

Of the 210 people killed in the 2020-21 period, 74 of the perpetrators were friends or acquaintances of the victims. While 76 of them were deaths from domestic violence and just 32 people were murdered by strangers.

Almost all those who commit homicide are charged with murder, with about one in 10 charged with manslaughter.

Homicide Rates Down

Following a national trend, NSW is experiencing a significant downward trend in homicides.

The latest crime data released last week shows that in 2020-21, NSW recorded the second-lowest number of homicides since the Australian Institute of Criminology began compiling national statistics in 1989.

NSW had 61 homicides in 2020-21 financial year. NSW and Australia have both had drops in the homicides over the past 30 years despite our population growth. 

Throughout the 1990’s the average was almost double what it is now at around 110 people per year in our state.

210 people died by homicide in the 2020-21 period nationally compared to 307 when the crime statistics began in 1989-90.

Indigenous people make up around 20% of victims despite making up just 3.2% of the population.

Domestic killings were the most common in 2020-21, accounting for about 36% of incidents. The rate of women killed in intimate partner homicides was 0.25 per 100,000 people, which is a decrease of 74% since 1989-90.

Men were overwhelmingly responsible for all homicides in 2020-21, accounting for 84% of perpetrators and 70% of victims across all homicide types.

On average, the shires of the western plains have low rates of homicide, despite the higher than average rates of domestic assault.

The map below shows LGAs in NSW with the highest number of murders in 2022, with Moree Plains LGA showing a rate per 100,000 population of 7.6, compared to the NSW rate of 0.7.

SOURCE: Bureau of Crime Statistics & Research

The hatched area means the low populations made it difficult to calculate rates.

The table below shows homicides (murders) in our region over the past two years.