Fraud, sexual assaults and robbery with a firearm all recorded significant increases.

This goes against the state trend where most major categories of crime either fell or remained stable over the 24 months to December 2013.

Incidents of fraud jumped 30 per cent from 189 in 2012 to 273 in 2013.

Sexual assaults are up 15 per cent from 91 to 107, while robbery with a firearm recorded a seven-fold increase from one in 2012 to seven in 2013.

The area also recorded increases in indecent assaults, acts of indecency or other sexual offences, robbery with a weapon not a firearm, break and enters to dwellings, and thefts from retail stores, homes and individuals.

There was also one murder in the Shoalhaven in the last 12 months compared to none the previous year.

Indecent assaults, acts of indecency or other sexual offences jumped from 89 to 102, robbery with a weapon not a firearm, which almost halved the previous year, increased by three this year from eight to 11.

There were 20 more reported cases of retail theft, up from 311 to 331, while thefts from homes also increased, albeit by one case, to 350.

Break and enters at non-dwellings increased by 22 from 254 to 276 and steal from a person offences were up from 36 to 40.

While domestic violence is still a big problem across the region, the number of reported incidents dropped by 35 cases from 453 to 418, but was well down on the decrease the previous year of almost 100. 

Assaults of non-domestic nature also posted a decrease of 39, from 519 to 480.

The incidents of robbery without a weapon fell from 22 to 17.

There was a reduction in break and enters at a dwelling from 648 to 577 and there were 19 less cases of motor vehicle theft, down from 246 to 227.

Stealing from a motor vehicle was markedly down, with reported incidents dropping from 717 to 578.

Reports of malicious damage were also down by 219, from 1367 to 1148.