Illawarra residents are most commonly found guilty of traffic and illicit drug offences in local courts, according to new data released on Thursday.
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A Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research report, NSW Criminal Court Statistics 2014, found 385 people per 100,000 in the Illawarra were found guilty of traffic and vehicle offences last year, well below the state average of 472 per 100,000.
However, the Illawarra's rate of 145.5 people per 100,000 found guilty of illicit drug offences was higher than the NSW-wide figure of 135 per 100,000.
The Illawarra was also above state average in rates of guilty verdicts in sexual assault, burglary, break and enter, theft, fraud, and weapons offences.
Despite fears of an illegal drug epidemic in the Shoalhaven, fuelled by crystal methamphetamine or ice, the area recorded above-average guilty verdicts in only three areas; abduction and harassment, burglary and break and enter, and property damage. Illicit drug offences were far below the state average.
Almost 3900 people were charged in Illawarra local court appearances in 2014, a rate below state average, while the Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands' 1790 charges also fell below the NSW mark. The Far West and Orana region, which takes in towns including Dubbo and Mudgee, recorded the state's highest rate of charges.