Source : Perth Now news
Stealing offences have spiked in one Australian state, with a big rise in the theft of increasingly popular e-bikes.
Data released by NSW’s Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) showed retail theft increased nine per cent in the past two years, while other stealing offences lifted three per cent.
Motorised bicycle theft spiked 27 per cent in the two-year period, from 1644 to 2080 in the year to March 2026.
“As e-bikes have become more popular, they have also become more attractive targets for theft,” BOCSAR executive director Jackie Fitzgerald said.
“Theft of e-bikes has risen sharply and is now the major contributor to growth in other stealing offences.”
In February, the NSW government estimated there were 760,000 e-bikes in the state after a rapid growth in sales.
Theft of copper also saw a remarkable 16 per cent spike, a rise of 192 incidents.
Liquor theft incidents jumped 13 per cent in the two-year span, while liquor premises were the most common target making up one-fifth of all incidents.
Recent data released in Victoria showed a similar situation.
That state’s Crime Statistics Agency found theft offences rose 5.6 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year.
In particular, car theft reached its highest level since 2001.
“With the challenging financial environment, there are no indications these crimes, which heavily impact the overall crime rate, will reduce,” a spokesperson said when the data was released in March.
Victoria will release its crime data for the 12 months to March on Thursday.
Other NSW data saw robbery offences had declined by around eight per cent year-on-year.
All other major crime groups remained stable.
