Last year, 13 people were killed and eight cars stolen each and every day, and a robbery was pulled every four hours.

These are the depressing statistics served up by the country's Crime Reporters Association.

More crimes were committed last year than in 2006. In all, there were 423,253 reported to police, compared with 401,250 a year earlier. That's a 5.5-per-cent increase. It is a 13.3-per-cent jump on offences committed in 2005, too.

Last year saw 182 burglaries committed each day and there was a mugging every four hours. A total of 23 pyramid schemes or public frauds were reported.

In all, unnatural deaths totalled 4,926 - including murders, accidental killings and traffic fatalities.

Fourteen women or girls were raped each day. Eight rape-and-murders were reported in 2007. There were six cases in 2006.

More young people are committing crimes, too. Youth were involved in 51,128 offences last year, up from 48,218 12 months previous. Young women committed almost one in every 10 of those felonies, mostly drug crimes.