Proportion of Aboriginal inmates in NSW hit a record 29.7% in February

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows First Nations people make up about 3.8% of the country’s population, but account for 31.8% of people behind bars nationally. Photograph: Johann Lichtblau/Alamy

The proportion of Aboriginal people in prisons across New South Wales has reached a record high, prompting an urgent call from key groups for governments to end the “overpolicing” of Indigenous communities.

The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (Bocsar) figures revealed Aboriginal people accounted for a record 29.7% of the state’s adult prison population in February, dipping slightly to 29.5% in March.