THEFT is an ongoing problem in Orange with the number of frauds, thefts from motor vehicles and break and enters rising significantly in the past 12 months, according to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR).
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The BOCSAR quarterly figures for the 12 months to September show Orange, like other locations in the central west, saw increases well above the state average in several crime categories.
BOCSAR director Don Weatherburn said break and enters in Orange were 2.8 times more prevalent than the state average, stealing from motor vehicles 2.1 per cent above and theft from retail outlets 2.9 per cent above the state average.
Dr Weatherburn said potential explanations for the increases may include there being a good market for stolen goods or a particularly active group of drug addicts who steal to buy drugs.
According to the figures, the number of robberies without a weapon jumped from seven in 2013 to 17 in 2014, while motor vehicle theft rose during the same period from 99 to 136.
Stealing from a motor vehicle leapt from 425 incidents to 494, while stealing from a dwelling increased from 180 to 222.
There were also increases in the number of thefts from retail stores, with 256 incidents reported in 2013 and 323 in 2014.
Break and enters also rose from 472 to 518 with the number of frauds rising from 175 to 206 in the same period.
However, malicious damage to property decreased from 832 incidents in 2013 to 700 in 2014.
Most other categories of crime remained stable, with 279 domestic related assaults recorded in 2013 and 299 in 2014. Non-domestic related assaults rose only slightly from 298 to 308.
Sexual assault figures also show a slight increase from 27 to 29.
The data highlighted fraud and thefts from vehicles as being a problem across the central west, with the region recording a 9.6 per cent increase in thefts from motor vehicles and a 21.1 per cent increase in frauds.
tracey.prisk@fairfaxmedia.com.au