The safest suburbs in Sydney to recommend to security conscious clients

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit Sydney ranks as the sixth safest city in the world. Having said that, as in any large city there are definitely some areas that are safer than others.

It’s not realistic for a suburb to be completely free of all crime, but by undertaking some research we’ve found out which local government areas (LGA) and suburbs in Greater Sydney have the lowest crime rates.

Here are the top four safest areas and best suburbs to recommend to clients that have security as their top priority in finding a home.

We’ve put together this list using the NSW Recorded Crime Statistics 2014 report and key information from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research with data collected from July 2013 to June 2014 regarding robberies.

The NSW Recorded Crime Statistics 2014 report showed that in greater Sydney the areas with the highest number of major crimes are the city/Inner South, the Inner South West and Parramatta, with over 20,000 major crimes recorded in each LGA. Major crimes include the most serious personal violent offences (murder, assault and sexual offences) and property offences (robbery and theft).

The four Greater Sydney LGA below all compare favourably to the NSW state average rate of robbery of 51.5 per 100,000 people (NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research).

The areas in Greater Sydney with the lowest number of major crimes recorded and the lowest rates of robbery are:

1. Ryde (postcode 2112) recorded 5,026 major crimes (NSW Recorded Crime Statistics 2014).

Suburbs: Denistone East, Putney and Ryde.

The rate of robbery in Ryde is 10 per 100,000 people (NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research).

2. Hawkesbury (postcodes 2753 & 2765) recorded 5,370 major crimes (NSW Recorded Crime Statistics 2014).

Suburbs (2765 postcode): Sackville, Scheyville and South Windsor.

The rate of robbery in the above suburbs is 32.3 per 100,000 people (NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research).

3. Sutherland (postcode 2232) recorded 6,306 major crimes (NSW Recorded Crime Statistics 2014).

Suburbs: Audley, Garie, Grays Point, Kareela, Kirrawe, Loftus, Sutherland and Woronora.

The rate of robbery in Sutherland is 36.6 per 100,000 people (NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research).

4. Northern Beaches (LGA: Manly, Warringah and Pittwater) (postcodes: 2084, 2085, 2087, 2092, 2093, 2094, 2095, 2096, 2097, 2099, 2100, 2101, 2102, 2103, 2104, 2105, 2106, 2107 & 2108) recorded 6,687 major crimes (NSW Recorded Crime Statistics 2014).

The rate of robbery in five postcodes of the Northern Beaches (2084, 2094, 2102, 2104 and 2108) is 0 per 100,000.

Suburbs: Akuna Bay, Cottage Point, Duffys Forest, Terrey Hills, Fairlight, Warriewood, Bayview, Coasters Retreat, Currawong Beach, Great Mackerel Beach, Morning Bay, Palm Beach and The Basin. 

It’s also worth reminding clients that regardless of the area they live in or where they’re planning to move to there are always a number of steps they can take to protect themselves and their property.

If your clients want to take research into their own hands recommend taking a look at the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research’s Crime Mapping Tool to compare the rates of different offence types across Greater Sydney and NSW. 

It’s also worthwhile to check out our Q&A and suburb reviews to see what the locals have to say about safety in their area.