According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research’s latest quarterly report, there were 349 domestic violence related assaults in Cessnock in the 12 months up to September 2013 – 59 more than the previous 12 months.

Non-domestic violence related assaults and sexual assaults offences were slightly down on the previous year.

Fraud offences in Cessnock increased by almost 100 in a year – with 249 in the 12 months up to September 2012, and 346 in the following 12 months.

Across the state, all major categories of crime either fell or remained stable over the 24 months to September 2013 except for fraud, which recorded a 20.7 per cent increase.

Most of the increase came from unauthorised use of credit cards and bank cards, while failing to pay for petrol from service stations accounted for a small percentage.

While steal from retail store offences were stable at state level for the 24-month period, Cessnock recorded a 57 per cent rise, with 160 incidences in the year up to September 2013 compared to 102 in the previous 12 months.

Break and enter dwelling was down 15 per cent in Cessnock, with 407 offences in the year up to September 2012, and 345 in the following 12 months.

Motor vehicle theft was also down, from 326 to 282.

Armed robberies more than halved – from 28 in the 12 months up to September 2012, to 13 in the following 12 months.