Kotara South crime rate and Crime Score · New South Wales
NSW Police (figures published by BOCSAR) recorded 42 offences in Kotara South in 2025-26, including 13 violent offences and 3 break-ins. The rates and Crime Score below are for the whole Lake Macquarie council area.
Kotara South is a suburb in the Lake Macquarie council area of New South Wales (about 224,540 residents in the council). The council has a Crime Score 43 out of 100 (moderate), 226th of 362 councils nationally.
The score blends national percentile ranks for each published offence category with fixed severity weights; here it is driven most by assault (43rd percentile), sexual offences (61st percentile), homicide (48th percentile). Five years earlier the same basis gave 49.
In 2025-26: violent 1,201 per 100,000 (+15% vs five years earlier); property 2,840 per 100,000 (-8% vs five years earlier); break-ins 295 per 100,000 (-15% vs five years earlier); theft 1,195 per 100,000 (+4% vs five years earlier). For violent crime that is 70th of 129 New South Wales councils with data, highest first.
Unemployment in the Lake Macquarie council area is 4.6% (New South Wales 4.9%), Census, 10 August 2021. Social housing makes up 4.5% of occupied homes (3,057 public and 604 community-housing dwellings at the 2021 Census; New South Wales 4.2%). An estimated 393 people were homeless on Census night 2021, 18.1 per 10,000 residents (New South Wales 43.4), apportioned from ABS Statistical Area Level 2 counts. 11.2% of residents were born overseas (New South Wales 31%), most often in England, New Zealand, India. Modelled estimates for 2026-27, not measurements: unemployment about 4.5% (confidence 85 of 100); social housing about 4.1% of homes; about 17.8 homeless people per 10,000 residents; about 11.4% born overseas. Confidence falls with distance from the last published figure, and the map's Estimates toggle shows every year back to 1994-95.
New South Wales publishes suburb-level counts: 42 offences were recorded in Kotara South in 2025-26. The rates and Crime Score above are for the whole Lake Macquarie council area.
| Offences | Per 100,000 | Count | 5-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent | 1,201 | 2,697 | +15% |
| Property | 2,840 | 6,377 | -8% |
| Break-ins | 295 | 662 | -15% |
| Theft | 1,195 | 2,683 | +4% |
Lake Macquarie council area: full statistics · Interactive map of every council.
Crime in postcode 2289: every suburb and council it covers.
Questions
Is Kotara South safe?
Police recorded 42 offences in Kotara South in 2025-26, including 13 violent offences and 3 break-ins. Kotara South is not ranked against other suburbs: with 1,267 residents a handful of incidents would move its rate a lot. The Lake Macquarie council area as a whole recorded 1,200 violent offences per 100,000 residents in 2025-26, close to the New South Wales rate (1,150) and about 6% lower than the national rate (1,280). These are offences recorded by police per resident: they describe the area as a whole, not the risk on any particular street, and places with a busy centre record more because offences are counted where they happen.
What is the crime rate in Kotara South?
In 2025-26 police recorded 42 offences in Kotara South, including 13 violent offences and 3 break-ins.
Police news near Kotara South
- Multiple people injured after being struck by vehicle, driver arrested - Newcastle · Newcastle, 3 Oct 2026 · 9 km away
Nearby suburbs
Argenton · Belmont North · Bennetts Green · Boolaroo · Cardiff · Cardiff Heights · Cardiff South · Charlestown · Croudace Bay · Dudley · Edgeworth · Eleebana · Floraville · Garden Suburb · Gateshead · Glendale · Highfields · Hillsborough · Jewells · Kahibah · Lakelands · Macquarie Hills · Mount Hutton · Redhead · Speers Point · Tingira Heights · Valentine · Warners Bay · Whitebridge · Windale
australiancrimerate.com.au/suburb/nsw/kotara-south/ · Australian Crime Map