By Tanya Steele
Arson, theft and robberies topped the list of crimes in the Yarra Ranges for 2024 and recorded crime offences are down slightly as the latest Victorian crime data comes to light.
Victoria as a whole has seen increases in the last 12 months as the CSA (Crime Statistics Agency) released the annual crime statistics for 2024 on Thursday 26 September.
CSA Chief Statistician Fiona Dowsley said that in Victoria there has been a 14 per cent increase in property and deception offences recorded in the last 12 months, driven by theft, burglary/break and enter and property damage.
In the Yarra Ranges the rate of recorded offences actually decreased, down 4.52 per cent with 4430.1 per 100,000 Victorians recorded and the number of offences was down 3.99 per cent to 7069 for 2024.
Family incidents increased by 2.12 per cent in the Yarra Ranges, with 98,816 incidents recorded across Victoria.
The Yarra Ranges family incident rate increased by 1.57 per cent with 1265.3 incidents per 100,000 residents.
“Family incidents and assaults have reached the highest levels in a decade, with a notable rise in aggravated assaults on females and breaches of intervention orders, often accompanied by criminal damage.” Ms Dowsley said.
Yarra Ranges saw the number of criminal incidents at 5,136, up by 6.40 per cent from 2023. The rate increased by 5.82 per cent.
There was an 8.75 per cent rise in alleged offender incidents in the area, with a total of 2661 and a rate increase of 8.15 per cent.
The number of person-related victim reports in Yarra Ranges was 2831, up by 3.97 per cent.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Chris Gilbert said the reality is behind every statistic is a victim of crime.
“These people and their experiences are the reason our members doggedly pursue those who endanger the community,” he said.
“Around a quarter of all crime can be directly attributed to the scourge of family violence, with Victoria Police called out to a family violence incident every five minutes.”
Acting Deputy Commissioner Gilbert said Victoria’s four fastest growing crimes are all related to opportunistic offending – theft from motor vehicles, retail theft, motor vehicle theft, and the theft of other items such as petrol.
According to police media, shop theft has reached record highs as inflation, cost of living pressures, and high interest rates continue to impact the community and Yarra Ranges property and deception offences had large rises, with an overall increase of 30.93 per cent.
In the Yarra Ranges, there was a 41.3 per cent increase in arson with 65 counts in 2024, up from 46 in 2023. Thefts increased by over 50 per cent and property damage by nearly 30 per cent. Robberies against people also increased by 93.33 per cent up to 29 offences in 2024 up from 15 in 2023.
Police intelligence indicates threats of violence against retail staff have also increased in the state as a result.
In Victoria, the most stolen items were numberplates, power tools, and cash and thieves continue to prey upon unlocked vehicles.
“Police continue to see far too many properties burgled and cars stolen due to unlocked doors and windows, so we urge the community to take simple measures such as checking your home and car is locked before heading to bed,” said Acting Deputy Commissioner Gilbert.
Crimes committed by children aged between ten and 17 have risen to their highest levels since 2010 across Victoria with 23,236 incidents and a 20.1 per cent increase, with the Yarra Ranges having an increase of 10.91 per cent.
Victoria’s worst child and youth offenders are the focus of two major police operations – Operation Alliance (youth gangs) and Operation Trinity (home burglaries and car thefts).
Police media also stated that at the start of July, Victoria Police created new crime reduction teams across Melbourne and Geelong.
The teams are responsible for proactively case-managing high-risk offenders with an extensive history of committing crimes, such as burglaries, robberies, assaults, and car thefts. These teams monitor people of all ages; however, many are children.
The officers have two main objectives when engaging with offenders – preventing further offending and providing support pathways that encourage rehabilitation.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Gilbert said Operation Trinity has made 1,550 arrests over the last year.
“An average of more than four burglars and thieves arrested across metropolitan Melbourne every day,” he said.
“This determination to hold criminals accountable has never been more evident, with Victoria Police making 68,579 arrests and laying 189,666 charges over the past year.”
Star Mail will expand on the Yarra Ranges data set release into Knox and Cardinia LGA’s in the coming weeks.
