​The number of people appearing in NSW courts may have risen, but crime in Canterbury-Bankstown has dropped significantly, according to the latest crime statistics.

The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR) report shows criminal activity dropped by 2.2 per cent in Canterbury-Bankstown, over the past two years, while the number of people in court across the state rose by three per cent.

Canterbury-Bankstown also recorded up to a 15 per cent decrease in major crime categories, such as domestic violence, fraud, malicious damage to property and theft, over the past four years.

Mayor Khal Asfour welcomed the news.

“This goes to show our City is improving in more ways than one, by working together,” he said.

“Unfortunately, crime affects everyone in some way and to see it progressively drop in CBCity is encouraging.

“We’re also doing really well compared to other areas, especially considering the size of our population, but we should not let this make us complacent.

“Although BOSCAR has placed a favourable light on CBCity, we must continue to take a strong stance on bad behaviour.”

The crime where there was the largest increase in NSW was theft from a retail store, which rose 6.5 per cent. This occurred predominantly at licensed premises and supermarkets, with the most commonly stolen items being alcohol and cosmetics.

While there were 515 such thefts recorded in Canterbury-Bankstown, between June 2017 and June 2019, the figure was well below Sydney (2,829), Blacktown (1,410), Central Coast (1,010), Newcastle (922) and Wollongong (900).

Each year, Council hosts Local Safety Forums throughout CBCity to update residents on latest crime trends and what programs are being delivered to address identified issues, while its annual Community Safety Expo will be held this Saturday (12 October), at Bankstown Central shopping centre, in conjunction with emergency services. It is also working in partnership with local police to check commuter car parks and other hot spot locations for signs of theft from motor vehicles. Where valuables are seen to be left on display in cars, owners are given information about securing valuables to prevent theft.

For more information on the latest crime statistics, visit www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au