Crime down 4.6% in Bass Coast but car thefts up in South Gippy
Crime, they say, is down across the state and also in Bass Coast and South Gippsland, although you’d never know it from the number car thefts, which seem to be a regular occurrence locally.
CRIME, they say, is down across the state and also in Bass Coast and South Gippsland, although you’d never know it from the number car thefts, which seem to be a regular occurrence locally.
In fact, while most measurements of crime are down in the local area according to the latest data from the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA), for the year ending June 30, 2026, car thefts are up in South Gippsland.
While thefts from cars, including tradies’ tools, are up in Bass Coast.
The category of ‘Other Thefts’ which is dominated by stolen cars, lists 153 such offences in South Gippsland in the past year, up from 144 the previous year.
And ‘Steal From Motor Vehicle’ up in Bass Coast from 147 last year to 154 this year.
Overall, the number of offences recorded in Bass Coast was down by 4.6% while in South Gippsland, the number of offences recorded actually went up by 3.1% but both local government areas recorded a fall in the number of criminal incidents, Bass Coast -8.4% and South Gippsland -4.3%.
The top five categories of offending in Bass Coast was as follows:
- Breach family violence order – 253
- Criminal damage – 227
- Other thefts (cars) – 192
- Steal from vehicle – 154
- Common assault – 134
In South Gippsland, the top five offences were as follows:
- Breach family violence order – 183
- Other thefts (cars) – 153
- Criminal damage – 146
- Steal from vehicle – 130
- Breach bail - 91
However, while crime is down in Bass Coast and South Gippsland, National’s Leader Danny O’Brien, the Member for Gippsland South wasn’t at all pleased with the situation in regional areas generally.
The crime statistics, he said, have highlighted the desperate need for increased police presence in Victoria’s regions, with regional Victoria making up 13 of the 14 worst Victorian areas for alleged offenders.
Mr O’Brien said the “shocking regional representation” further emphasised the need for the Liberals and Nationals pledge to boost Victoria’s police force and strengthen bail laws.
“It is alarming to see how prominent our regions are in these statistics and it only strengthens our commitment to recruit 3000 additional police, strengthen bail laws to keep serious repeat offenders off our streets, deliver tougher consequences for violent offenders and put victims back at the centre of the justice system,” Mr O’Brien said.
He highlighted several areas of concern, including here in Gippsland:
- Northern Grampians had a staggering 46.1 per cent increase in alleged offender incidents from 2025 and a 36.6 per cent increase in total criminal incidents.
- Alleged offender incidents in Latrobe soared 9.8 per cent from 2025, making it the worst area in Victoria with 7386 per 100,000 population.
- Latrobe also had 12,912 criminal incidents per 100,000 population, ranking behind only Melbourne in Victorian local government areas.
- East Gippsland had a 9.7 per cent increase in total criminal incidents.
“The four highest ranked local government areas (LGAs) for alleged offenders were the Latrobe Valley, Northern Grampians, East Gippsland and Mildura.
Statewide crime trending down 3.8%
The rate of recorded offences across the state decreased, down 3.8% to 8,679.6 per 100,000 Victorians in the last 12 months, while the overall number of offences decreased 2.1% to 624,624.
Both Bass Coast and South Gippsland reductions in the rate of recorded offences per 100,000 population, down from 5820.6 to 5245.6 (-9.9%) in Bass Coast and 5287.9 to 5029.2 (-4.9%) in South Gippsland.
Despite the overall decrease, justice procedures offences had the largest increase in the last 12 months, up 3.7% or 3,685 to 102,015 offences. The main driver of the increase was Breaches of orders, up 3,362 to 87,257 offences, specifically Breach bail condition offences which rose from 5,473 to 17,250 offences in the last 12 months following the commencement of new breach of bail offences as part of bail reforms in 2025.
In the 12 months to 30 June 2026, the number of criminal incidents decreased, down 2.9% or 14,064 to 468,070 incidents. The rate also decreased, down 4.6% to 6,504.2 per 100,000 Victorians.
Alleged offender incidents increased 6.6% to 195,572 in the last 12 months, as did the offender incident rate up 4.6% to 3,062.1 per 100,000.
Theft-related incidents increased by 4.3% or 1,822 to 44,544 alleged offender incidents.
Specifically, shoplifting increased 9.3% or 1,807 to 21,306 alleged offender incidents.
Family incidents across the state decreased 3.4% in the last 12 months, with 102,830 incidents recorded across Victoria. The rate also decreased, down 5.0% or 1,428.9 incidents per 100,000 Victorians.
Family violence incidents were also down in Bass Coast by 12.6% and South Gippsland by a pleasing 18.4% as compared to a reduction in neighbouring Baw Baw by 4.4% and an increase in Latrobe of 3.5%.
CSA Chief Statistician Fiona Dowsley said that “Despite an increase in shoplifting offences, property crime is down overall, driven by decreases in burglary and other theft offences”.
“Shoplifting offences have increased 2.7% in the last 12 months, with grocery items showing the largest increase amongst items taken.” Ms Dowsley said.
It’s interesting to note that the policing response is strong in both Bass Coast and South Gippsland where criminal charges were laid in 41.1% and 42.2% of cases in those areas respectively, with an unsolved rate of 35.8% in Bass Coast and 41.3% in South Gippsland against an unsolved rate of 67.2% in Boroondara (Kew, Camberwell, Hawthorn) and 66.5% in the City of Yarra (Carlton/Collingwood).
