• Jack Dearden, Warwick Jones
• Australian Institute of Criminology

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03 December 2008This report presents findings from and an overview of key characteristics of the 18th annual collection of homicide data (2006-07), the most comprehensive collection on homicide in Australia, including details on victims, offenders, and incident circumstances. Australia wide, 260 incidents of homicide occurred in the year, taking 266 victims and involving 296 offenders. This was a decrease of 23 incidents and 45 victims from the previous year and is consistent with a significant long-range trend toward fewer incidents both per capita and absolutely since inception of the NHMP. In that period, male offender rates have fallen from a peak of 3.8 per 100,000 to 2.3 per 100,000, and female offender rates have remained relatively unchanged at around 0.5 per 100,000. The 2006-07 data also reflected the general trend toward a lower proportion of homicides using firearms (11%) and a higher proportion using knives and other sharp instruments (44%), respectively the lowest and highest proportions to date since monitoring began and in contrast to a maximum proportion by firearm of 29% in 1993 and a minimum by knife and other sharp instrument of 30% in 2000.