Older people in Australia have lower crime victimisation rates than the population as a whole according to a new report from the Australian Institute of Criminology, "The Victimisation of Older Australians". Generally, personal offence victimisation rates remain the lowest for those aged 65 years and older. The rate of assault for people aged over 65 is 1.8 per 100 persons; this compares to a rate of 7.8 per 100 persons in the general population. Rates of robbery, theft from a person, break and enter, vehicle theft and consumer fraud were also lower for older people. Data from the report are based on the 2000 Crime Victims Survey conducted by the Australian Institute of Criminology.
Selected crime victimisation rates for people aged 65 years and over, compared with total population [see attached PDF for graph]
Source
- Carcach, C., Graycar, A. and Muscat, G. 2001, "The Victimisation of Older Australians", Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, no. 212, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra.