Youth offenders drop, serious crime rises again in Qld

Serious crimes are on the rise in Queensland for the second consecutive year while the rate of unique youth offending has dropped, data from the state government statistician's office has revealed.

The 2021-2022 crime report released on Thursday shows all offences covering people, property and others grew 8.1 per cent in a year, with offences against the person rising 46.3 per cent.

Assault crimes saw a 60.8 per cent annual increase, sexual offences up 14 per cent, robbery up 18.4 per cent and breach of domestic violence order rose 16.7 per cent.

The statistics grow more alarming over a 10-year data set, with rape and attempted rape up 115.5 per cent from 2012-2013, assault increasing by 118.1 per cent and domestic violence order breaches up 221.4 per cent.

One in five victims of an offence against the person identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and 28.1 per cent of offenders proceeded against by police identified as First Nations people.

Almost half the number of sexual offences recorded in the annual statistics were against females aged between 0-19.

Manslaughter and homicide rates dropped over the one-year period but attempted murder grew 43.6 per cent and extortion was up just over 50 per cent. 

Outback Queensland had the highest rate of crime across the state with nearly 30,000 reported offences per 100,000 people. 

Townsville topped the crime table in coastal, city and regional centres again, with reported offences per 100,000 people just shy of 20,000.

The rate of unique child offenders has continued to decline across the state to 1926.4 per 100,000 persons aged 10-17 years - the lowest level recorded over the 10-year period. 

The report also found there were more than 20 per cent fewer unique youth offenders in 2021-22, compared to 2012-13.

Tough and harsher youth justice laws were recently legislated by the government to target a "small cohort of hardcore offenders" responsible for a disproportionate number of youth offences.

Police Minister Mark Ryan says the laws are part of an unrelenting approach to curb youth crime.

"While the rate of unique youth offenders and rate of unique adult offenders has declined according to the report, the reality is that there is a hardcore group of recidivist offenders who have to be held accountable," he said in a statement.

"That's why the government recently passed tough new laws that target those hardcore offenders with a new breach of bail offence, among many other measures.

"The government makes no apology for doing this, because keeping the community safe is always paramount."