CANBERRA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The number of female offenders sighted by Australian police increased by five percent in 2015-16, compared to a one percent increase for males, statistics released on Wednesday showed.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released its Recorded Crime - Offenders 2015-16 statistics on Wednesday, which showed there were 4,957 more incidents of females offending compared to 2014-15.
The ABS' Director of Crime and Justice Statistics, William Milne said in comparison, the number of male offenders increased by only 49, or less than one percent.
He said a rise in theft and drug offences were two main reasons for the five percent increase.
"Theft was the most prevalent principal offence for females, while the largest increases in female offender numbers were for theft (up 12 percent), illicit drug offences (up 8 percent) and acts intended to cause injury (up 6 percent)," Milne said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The number of female offenders proceeded against for illicit drug offences has almost doubled since the beginning of the time series in 200809."
Despite the sharp increase in the number of females offending, there were still three times as many male offenders (323,949) compared to females (97,304).
Overall, the number of offenders flagged by police in Australia during 201516 rose for the fourth straight year to total 422,067 offenders, an increase of around one percent - or 5,016 offenders - from the previous year.
According to police, the most common offences involved illicit substances, with drug-related offenders making up 20 percent of the total number (83,160).
