The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) has released its crime statistics for the period ending December 2025.
The good news is that overall crime is essentially flat, down 1.2% when comparing the most recent 24-month period (January 2024 to December 2025) against the prior 24 months (January 2022 to December 2023).
In the Cove has analysed the full BOCSAR dataset to identify what’s changing in Lane Cove.
The findings are a mix of reassuring and concerning. Assault is down, domestic violence assault has fallen 14%, and fraud has plummeted.
But shoplifting continues to rise in line with a Greater Sydney-wide crisis, intimidation and stalking have climbed 89.5% over five years, and sexual offences, while still recorded at rates well below the state average, are trending upward in line with a statewide pattern of increased reporting.
The Big Picture — Overall Crime Is Flat
Across all offence categories combined, Lane Cove recorded 1,386 incidents in the most recent two-year period (January 2024 to December 2025), compared with 1,403 in the prior two years (January 2022 to December 2023). That’s a net decrease of 17 incidents, or -1.2%.
To put that in context, Lane Cove’s total crime count has remained remarkably stable over the past five years. This is a community of roughly 40,000 residents that consistently records among the lowest crime rates of any local government area in metropolitan Sydney.
The 2025 calendar year specifically saw 667 total offences recorded across Lane Cove, Lane Cove North and Lane Cove West. That’s essentially in line with recent annual averages and well below the rates seen in every neighbouring LGA (more on that comparison below).
But averages can mask what’s moving beneath the surface. When ITC broke the data down by offence category, several trends emerged that Lane Cove residents should be aware of.
What’s Going Up — And It’s Not Just Shoplifting
The headline increases in the two-year comparison (January 2022–December 2023 vs January 2024–December 2025) are concentrated in a handful of categories:
| Offence Category | Prior 24 Months | Recent 24 Months | Change |
| Sexual offences | 39 | 56 | +43.6% |
| Disorderly conduct | 44 | 61 | +38.6% |
| Intimidation, stalking and harassment | 100 | 123 | +23.0% |
| Trespass | 35 | 47 | +34.3% |
| Other theft (excl. shoplifting) | 45 | 67 | +48.9% |
| Shoplifting | 62 | 71 | +14.5% |
| Break and enter (non-dwelling) | 22 | 30 | +36.4% |
| Arson | 2 | 4 | +100.0% |
| Prohibited and regulated weapons | 10 | 11 | +10.0% |
Three of these categories deserve particular attention: shoplifting, intimidation and stalking, and sexual offences. Each tells a different story about what’s happening in Lane Cove — and across NSW more broadly.
Shoplifting — Lane Cove Mirrors a Greater Sydney Crisis
Shoplifting across Lane Cove rose from 62 incidents in the prior two-year period to 71 in the most recent period, a 14.5% increase that closely mirrors the 13.5% rise recorded across Greater Sydney in the same BOCSAR dataset.
This is not a Lane Cove problem. It is a statewide phenomenon. The December 2025 BOCSAR report identified theft from retail stores as one of only two major offence categories increasing across NSW (the other being sexual assault).
Retail theft is one of the few crime categories trending upward against an otherwise stable or declining crime landscape.
Lane Cove residents will recall the incident in October 2025 when two teenage girls, aged 14 and 15, allegedly shoplifted from a Lane Cove liquor store — and live-streamed the act on social media.
Police allege the girls left the store and boarded a bus toward Sydney City. Officers used the live stream to track the girls and arrested them a short time later in the CBD, allegedly still in possession of the stolen items.
Research from Monash University’s Australian Consumer and Retail Studies (ACRS) unit found that 27% of Australians now view some forms of theft as justifiable, with that figure rising to a striking 54% among 18 to 34-year-olds.
The cost-of-living pressures affecting households across Sydney are undoubtedly a factor, though it is worth noting that Lane Cove’s median household income of $145,652 per year places the area in roughly the 93rd to 96th percentile nationally.
This is not a community defined by financial hardship, which makes the attitudinal shift identified by the Monash research more relevant. For many offenders, shoplifting appears to be driven less by necessity than by opportunity and changing social norms around what constitutes acceptable behaviour.
In response to the statewide surge, NSW Police rolled out Operation Percentile statewide in October 2025 as part of the NSW Retail Crime Strategy. Since then, the operation has resulted in 525 people charged and approximately $230,000 in stolen goods recovered across the state.
Intimidation, Stalking and Harassment — The Quiet Surge
If there is one category in the Lane Cove data that warrants close attention, it is intimidation, stalking and harassment. This offence category has been rising steadily for five years and is now accelerating.
The five-year trend tells the story clearly:
| Year | Incidents | Change from Prior Year |
| 2020 | 38 | — |
| 2021 | 42 | +10.5% |
| 2022 | 57 | +35.7% |
| 2023 | 43 | -24.6% |
| 2024 | 51 | +18.6% |
| 2025 | 72 | +41.2% |
From 38 incidents in 2020 to 72 in 2025, that’s an 89.5% increase over five years. The 2025 figure alone, 72 incidents, represents the single largest year-on-year increase by count of any offence category in Lane Cove.
What makes this trend particularly complex is that it sits alongside a decline in physical assault.
Domestic violence-related assault fell 14.1% in the two-year comparison (from 92 to 79 incidents), while overall assault dropped 10.1% (from 158 to 142). So, Lane Cove is recording fewer physical assaults but significantly more intimidation, stalking and harassment offences.
There are several possible explanations for this divergence. Greater community awareness of non-physical forms of abuse and harassment may be encouraging more victims to report.
The introduction of coercive control as a standalone offence in NSW (which took effect on 1 July 2024) has created a new legal framework for reporting controlling behaviour that may previously have gone unreported.
BOCSAR recorded 326 coercive control offences statewide in 2025, including at least one incident in Lane Cove.
It is also possible that the nature of interpersonal offending is shifting — with more incidents involving technology-facilitated harassment, online stalking and other forms of non-physical intimidation. The BOCSAR data does not break down the mode of offending, but the trend direction is unmistakable.
The December 2025 BOCSAR report noted that domestic violence-related court proceedings reached a record 45,984 adults in 2025, representing one in every four adult court proceedings in NSW. While Lane Cove’s DV assault numbers are falling, the broader system is clearly under enormous pressure.
Sexual Offences — Small Numbers, but Part of a Statewide Trend
The broader sexual offences category in Lane Cove rose from 39 to 56 incidents over the two-year comparison. This is a 43.6% increase. Within that, sexual assault specifically went from 16 to 32 incidents.
Context is essential here. These are very small numbers in absolute terms, and BOCSAR consistently cautions against drawing definitive conclusions from small sample sizes in local areas. A shift of just a few incidents can produce large percentage swings.
More importantly, Lane Cove’s sexual assault rate remains well below the state average even after this increase. At roughly 16 incidents per year across a population of approximately 40,000, Lane Cove’s rate equates to around 41 per 100,000 residents. The NSW-wide rate of recorded sexual assault is more than double that, sitting above 100 per 100,000. In other words, Lane Cove’s rate would need to more than double again just to reach the state average.
What Lane Cove is experiencing mirrors a statewide pattern. The December 2025 BOCSAR report identified sexual assault as one of only two major offence categories increasing across all of NSW, with a 7.9% rise recorded statewide. Experts broadly attribute this trend to increased reporting rather than increased offending. Changing community attitudes, the impact of consent law reforms that took effect in NSW in 2022, and greater confidence in police and judicial processes are all encouraging more victims to come forward. An increase in recorded offences can in fact be a positive sign, it may mean that what was previously hidden is now being reported and addressed.
Lane Cove’s numbers are consistent with this interpretation. The trend is worth monitoring, but residents should understand it in the context of a community that remains significantly safer than the NSW average across every major offence category.
The Good News — What’s Falling
It is not all concerning news. Several offence categories have recorded significant decreases:
| Offence Category | Prior 24 Months | Recent 24 Months | Change |
| Liquor offences | 38 | 2 | -94.7% |
| Against justice procedures | 105 | 69 | -34.3% |
| Assault (total) | 158 | 142 | -10.1% |
| DV-related assault | 92 | 79 | -14.1% |
| Malicious damage | 120 | 110 | -8.3% |
| Fraud | 242 | 223 | -7.9% |
Liquor offences have virtually disappeared — from 38 incidents to just 2, a 94.7% decrease. This likely reflects changes in enforcement practices and licensing compliance rather than a sudden outbreak of sobriety across the Lower North Shore.
Fraud deserves mention. While the two-year comparison shows a modest 7.9% decline, the 2025 calendar year alone saw fraud drop 40.7% compared to 2024. This is a welcome reversal after several years of elevated fraud numbers, potentially reflecting greater consumer awareness of scams and improved bank fraud-detection systems. However, the North Shore Police Command have spoken to ITC about the number of cryptocurrency cases they are investigating is increasing and has asked ITC to warn locals to be careful.
Domestic violence-related assault falling 14.1% is encouraging, though as noted above, it should be read alongside the significant increase in intimidation and stalking. The overall picture of domestic and family violence in Lane Cove is evolving rather than simply improving.
Motor vehicle theft also showed positive movement, with incidents in 2025 roughly halving compared to recent years This is a trend supported by the work of Strike Force Sweetenham, which has been targeting organised vehicle theft networks across the North Shore.
Weapons offences present a mixed picture. While the two-year comparison for prohibited and regulated weapons shows a modest increase (10 to 11), the 2025 calendar year alone recorded 9 weapons offences — up from just 2 in 2024, a 350% increase. This is a small-number category and a single year’s spike should be interpreted cautiously, but it is worth watching.
How Does Lane Cove Compare to Neighbouring Areas?
One of the most striking findings in the BOCSAR data is just how safe Lane Cove remains relative to its neighbours. When ITC compared the 2025 calendar year crime rates per 100,000 population across Lower North Shore LGAs, Lane Cove was the clear standout:
| Local Government Area | Crime Rate per 100,000 Population (2025) |
| Lane Cove | 1,691 |
| Hunters Hill | 3,444 |
| North Sydney | 3,247 |
| Ryde | 3,960 |
| Willoughby | 5,815 |
Lane Cove’s crime rate of 1,691 per 100,000 is roughly half that of the next-lowest LGA (North Sydney at 3,247) and less than a third of Willoughby’s rate. Even accounting for differences in commercial activity, nightlife precincts, and population density, Lane Cove’s position as the safest LGA on the Lower North Shore is emphatic.
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