The findings are contained in the NSW Recorded Crime Statistics Quarterly Update March 2014, released by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR).

In seven of the 17 major categories, Dubbo’s crime rate was between twice and three times the state average for the 12 months to the end of March 2014.

These included steal from retail store (3.1 times the state average), steal from motor vehicle (2.9), murder (2.3), break and enter to a dwelling (2.3), motor vehicle theft (2.1), malicious damage to property and domestic violence-related assault (2.0).

At 2.9 times the state average, Dubbo’s rate of theft from a motor vehicle was the highest in NSW.

It was a problem police and Dubbo City Council were attempting to tackle in their recently-launched Outsmart the Crims campaign, which aimed to educate the community to lock their vehicles and keep valuables hidden.

There were, however, two categories where Dubbo’s crime rate was lower than the state average.

The rate of fraud in Dubbo was 0.7 times the NSW average and the rate of robbery without a weapon was 0.8 times the state average.

The quarterly survey measures reported crime per 100,000 population, which police from Orana LAC have argued in the past makes the figures appear more alarming for smaller communities.

For instance, Gilgandra’s murder rate of 21.1 times the state average was based on one reported murder in the small town in the 12 months to March 2014, while Dubbo’s rate of 2.3 times the state average was based on one reported murder.

Further west, the Bourke local government area had crime rates ranging from more than twice to nearly 11 times the state average in 12 of the 17 categories.

Its rate of domestic violence-related assault (10.8 times the state average), non-domestic violence-related assault (5.1), sexual assault (10.7), indecent assault (4.4), break and enter to dwelling (7.1), steal from retail store (5.0), steal from dwelling (4.7) and malicious damage to property (4.9) were the highest in NSW for any local government area.

Other western region centres had crime rates significantly higher than the NSW average in a range of categories.

When it came to break and enters to non-dwellings, Gilgandra’s rate was eight times the NSW average, Coonamble six times the NSW average and Cobar five times the NSW average.

The rate of indecent assault, act of indecency and other sexual offences reported in Narromine was three times the NSW average, while break and enters to dwellings were reported in Wellington at a rate 3.8 times the state average.