Vehicle offenses and burglaries contribute to crime spike

CRIMINAL incidents in South Gippsland were up a massive 22.9% according to data from the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) for the year ending March 31, 2023.

The recent quarter saw criminal incidents rise from 1190 to 1462 incidents, with Leongatha the top town for offences followed by Korumburra and Mirboo North.

The top offence for criminal incidents was breach family violence order.

Of the criminal incidents recorded, 41.1% resulted in charges laid, while 37.8% were unsolved. 

There was also a substantial increase in victim reports, up by 22.7% from 858 to 1053.

Majority of reports were made for assault and related offences, with the those 55 and over making the most reports.

However, family violence incidents were down by 2.4%.

While interestingly in Bass Coast, criminal incidents remained virtually unchanged from 2142 to 2143 incidents.

The top suburbs for criminal incidents were Wonthaggi followed by Cowes and Inverloch.

The top offences were breach family violence order, criminal damage and other theft.

Family violence was also down in Bass Coast by 5.9%, but the family violence rate per 100,000 population was 1996 compared to the Victorian rate of 1377 per 100,000 population.

The most affected age group for family violence ranged from 25-34 and 55 plus.

“Overall crime in South Gippsland increased over the past 12 months, which can be attributed to a rise in motor vehicle crime and non-aggravated residential burglaries,” said Inspector Leigh Balthazaar, Morwell Investigation and Response Manager.

“We want to reassure the community that police are patrolling every day and night, recovering stolen vehicles and arresting offenders looking to break into homes and cars.

“We also urge the community to ensure they are securing their properties and vehicles at all times. 

“Simple home security measures such as locking all doors and windows to your home and car can go a long way to preventing your car from being stolen or home broken into.

“Police are never surprised by the release of quarterly CSA data, as we are monitoring and responding to crime trends on a daily basis. 

“A large proportion of family violence offences recorded were breaches of family violence orders, which is due to the proactive methods from detectives in the Family Violence Investigation Unit to monitor offenders. 

“We know that family violence is chronically underreported, which is why our detectives are out every day, knocking on doors and ensuring known offenders are complying with their orders – if they are caught offending or breaching an order, police will have absolutely no hesitation in bringing them before a court.”

State-wide, there were 496,589 criminal offences recorded in Victoria in the 12 months to March 2023, representing an increase of 26,424 offences or 5.6% from the previous year.

Overall crime still remained 9.1% below pre-COVID levels. 

State-wide, youths aged 10 – 14 were responsible for 6418 incidents – an increase of 44.6%.

Offenders aged 10 - 24 were responsible for 45,786 incidents – an increase of 8.4% year-on-year. Overall offending in this age group remains below the levels seen in the 12 months immediately leading into the pandemic.