Which Perth suburb had the most crime in 2025?

Crime last year was down to its lowest level in Western Australia since 2022, according newly released WA Police statistics.

And while some suburbs saw a dramatic downturn in criminal activity, for others it was a different story.

WAtoday has examined the data and compiled a per capita snapshot of each suburb, giving a fairer picture of which areas of Perth suffered the most issues.

While some of the top contenders are to be expected, given their proximity to nightlife and retail precincts, others emerged as surprising crime hotspots.

The data collect by police unsurprisingly shows that Perth and Northbridge topped the list of suburbs with the most crime, followed by Cannington, south of the city, which is home to Carousel shopping centre.

The figures show that while crime in Cannington has decreased by 2 per cent over the last 12 months, it has risen by nearly 70 per cent since 2020. Stealing offences, in particular, have almost doubled in that time.

Fourth on the top 10 list is the eastern suburb of Forrestdale, where crime has risen sharply – an increase of 93 per cent since 2021.

The suburb sits within the City of Armadale and is advertised to potential home owners as offering a semi-rural lifestyle where the median house price is currently about $850,000 and median rent is just over $700 a week.

Forrestdale houses just over 1000 residents, according to the last census, but assault reports – both family and non-family – appear to blame for the big increase in crime statistics.

The next suburb on the list sits on the end of the train line and is generally considered a crime zone due to its low socio-economic status.

While house prices in Midland have risen, they still sit at a more affordable median range of $600,000 with rents also sitting at around $600 a week.

But while Midland is home to over 6000 people and regularly sits at the top of the most crime-ridden suburbs in Perth, crime there has actually decreased significantly in the last year.

The figures show crime in the town has dropped by 15 per cent from 2024 to 2025. Stealing is down, graffiti is down, breaching a restraining order is down, sexual offences are down and so is robbery.

Fremantle sits sixth on the top 10 list, but it has also seen a reduction in crime of 10 per cent over the last 12 months, followed by Karawara, just south of the city.

However, the centrally located suburb that is close to Curtin University has bucked the trend and seen an increase in crime of nearly 5 per cent which, despite the area now commanding on average nearly $1 million for houses.

Burswood, home to WA’s only casino, is eighth on the list and has also seen a reduction in crime of 15 per cent, along with Cockburn Central at ninth, where crime has reduced by more than 7 per cent in the last year.

Tenth on the list this year is Armadale, where the crime rates have almost remained the same between 2024 and 2025.

Other suburbs across the metro area that also saw a big reduction in crime include Rivervale in Perth’s east, which sits in the City of Belmont about six kilometres from the CBD. Home to almost 11,000 residents, the crime there over the past year dropped dramatically by 33 per cent.

An even bigger reduction was seen in Queens Park, where crime reports halved, and in Karrinyup where crime dropped by 35 per cent between 2024 and 2025.

Cloverdale, about 10 kilometres east of the city, also saw a big reduction in crime by 30 per cent, while Victoria Park and Carlisle saw crime drop by 28 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively.

Crime has gone up in a few instances, including in the northern Perth suburb of Two Rocks, where reports almost doubled, and in Shoalwater near Rockingham, where crime rose by 40 per cent over the last 12 months.

Other suburbs that saw a rise in issues included Woodbridge (39 per cent), Maylands (26 per cent), Parmelia (25 per cent), Balcatta (20 per cent) and Alkimos (19 per cent).

Our regional towns also saw some big jumps in crime numbers, with both Narrogin and Newman seeing a reduction in crime.

Kununurra, however, still rates as one of the worst places for crime in the state, rivalling Perth’s entertainment precincts for crime reports per capita.