The data were obtained from the Computerized Operational Policing System of the New South Wales Police Service in January 1998. The report has four main sections. The first section provides an overview of major trends in recorded criminal incidents over the two-year period from January 1996 to December 1997. Figures that show trends in selected offenses are presented, as well as an analysis that shows which trends are statistically significant. The second section presents the monthly number or recorded criminal incidents for all categories of offenses. There are three tables, one each for 1995, 1996, and 1997. Each table provides a total for the year and the annual rate per 100,000 population. The trend analysis uses only the most recent 2 years of data. The third section provides the numbers and percentages of cleared criminal incidents for selected types of offenses for 1995, 1996, and 1997. The offense types included in these tables are those likely to have been reported to police rather than discovered by police. The tables for 1995 and 1996 show the number of recorded criminal incidents; and of these the number that had been cleared 30 days, 90 days, and 180 days after the incident was reported to police. The table also includes clear-up percentages, which show the proportions of recorded incidents that had been cleared within 30, 90, and 180 days of reporting. The fourth section of the report contains 30 tables, one for each major offense category. Each table presents the number and rates (per 100,000 population) of recorded criminal incidents for the periods January to December 1995, 1996, and 1997 for each of the Statistical Divisions and for each Statistical Subdivision in Sydney. Recorded criminal incidents that occurred in custodial institutions are counted separately. Extensive tables and figures and appended offenses included in classifications, maps, and local government areas in Statistical Divisions