Two property crime categories have fallen sharply across Moree Plains, according to the latest figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
BOCSAR data for the 12 months to June 2026 recorded 63 motor vehicle thefts across Moree Plains, down from 99 in the previous year.
The 36 per cent fall was statistically significant and continues a broader decline from a recent high of 154 motor vehicle thefts recorded in 2022-23.
Break and enter offences at non-dwellings also fell sharply, dropping from 113 incidents in 2024-25 to 57 in 2025-26. The fall of almost 50 per cent was also identified by BOCSAR as statistically significant.
There was a smaller reduction in break-ins at homes, from 253 incidents to 214, although BOCSAR classified the two-year trend for that category as stable rather than a statistically significant fall.
The figures provide some encouraging signs for Moree Plains, particularly in property crime, but the latest data does not show an across-the-board reduction in offending.
Intimidation, stalking and harassment increased from 317 recorded incidents to 428, a rise of 35 per cent. That category has also been trending upwards over the longer term, with BOCSAR recording an average annual increase of about 10 per cent over the past decade.
Breaches of apprehended violence orders rose from 239 incidents to 294, an increase of 23 per cent, while possession or use of amphetamines increased from 37 incidents to 69, up almost 87 per cent.
Resist or hinder officer offences increased from 35 to 67 incidents, a rise of 91 per cent.
Moree Plains also continues to record crime rates well above the NSW average in a number of categories.
In the year to June, the local rate of break and enter dwelling was 7.9 times the NSW rate. The rates of malicious damage to property and intimidation, stalking and harassment were each 5.4 times the state rate.
Domestic violence-related assault was 5.3 times the NSW rate, while non-dwelling break-ins and possession or use of amphetamines were each 4.8 times the state rate. Motor vehicle theft, despite the substantial fall in incidents, remained at 2.8 times the NSW rate.
Member for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan said the latest figures presented a mixed picture for Moree Plains, but pointed to the reductions in property offences as encouraging.
“We still have a problem with crime in Moree, but I think we are starting to slowly but surely turn the corner,” Mr Moylan said.
Mr Moylan said targeted policing and community-based interventions were beginning to make a difference, and suggested the reduction in Moree property offences could partly be related to the remote drone trial.
The BOCSAR figures themselves do not establish what caused the reduction.
Motor vehicle theft had already fallen from 154 incidents in 2022-23 to 116 in 2023-24 and 99 in 2024-25, before falling to 63 in the latest reporting period.
Mr Moylan also acknowledged NSW Police officers working across the Northern Tablelands electorate.
“They are incredibly hardworking, and I firmly believe they represent the very best of the NSW Police Force,” Mr Moylan said.
“The decrease in offences in my electorate did not happen by accident.”
Across NSW, recorded crime remained largely stable over the two years to June 2026. Of 13 major offence categories measured by BOCSAR, retail theft was the only category to record a statistically significant statewide increase.
The latest BOCSAR crime data was released on September 16 and covers recorded criminal incidents reported to, or detected by, NSW Police through June 2026.
