Police say forensic targeting of known criminals is helping to make some of Melbourne’s offending hot spots safer, as official figures show the annual crime rate down 9.5 per cent across the state, and some of the biggest drops occurring on Melbourne’s growing fringe.
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The Crime Statistics Agency says the number of criminal incidents recorded by police in the year to March 31 this year was 380,150, down nearly 9 per cent from 416,925 incidents recorded in the same period last year.
There were big drops in abductions, burglaries, theft, deception and drug dealing.
But sex offences were up again and there was a rise in public nuisance offences, the agency reported.
The Andrews government said the figures showed real progress in the fight against crime, but the opposition said the overall crime rate was still much higher than when Labor took office in 2014.
Crackdowns on car theft and residential burglaries appear to be working, with both categories recording large drops in offences.
Crackdowns on car theft and residential burglaries appear to be working, with both categories recording large drops in offences.
Residential burglaries are now at their lowest rate in more than a decade, with 26,438 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March this year, down from 30,981 the previous year.
The biggest declines are on Melbourne’s fringe and included a 34per cent drop in Casey, a 25 per cent drop in Wyndham and a 37 per cent drop in Whittlesea.
A total of 13,741 cars were stolen in Victoria in the year to March, almost 4600 fewer than over the same period to March 2017.
There has also been a drop in the residential aggravated burglary rate. A total of 3069 homes were breached while an occupant was present in the year to March, compared with 3494 the previous year. While violent break-ins have decreased, last year was still the second worst in a decade for the crime.
The rate of aggravated residential burglaries has also dropped in Wyndham and Casey.
A total of 13,741 cars were stolen in Victoria in the year to March, almost 4600 fewer than over the same period to March 2017. Deputy Commissioner Andrew Crisp said a ‘‘huge team effort’’ from the force and its specialist support workers was targeting known criminals.
"The way we’re driving down this crime is by targeting those high-risk offenders, those persons of interest, and we’re able now to a lot more quickly turn around DNA sample and our fingerprint IDs," he said.
"Aggravated burglaries, we’ve seen nearly a 15 per cent reduction – that’s nearly 600 fewer offences, 600 fewer victims."
“Similarly with car-jackings, around 200 in this particular reporting period, again we know the impact it has on the individual and the broader community and ... we’re locking up a lot of people for car-jackings," he said.
“Our focus is on the arrest."
Mr Crisp said Operation Wayward in the western suburbs, from Wyndham to Melton, where detectives are focusing their efforts on the most prolific young offenders was having a "significant impact".
Police Minister Lisa Neville praised Victoria Police for the latest stats, saying they were a step in the right direction but there was still a lot of work to be done
But Liberal Leader Matthew Guy said Labor had presided over unprecedented levels of crime, particularly offences against the person.
“Labor has had four years to bring down crime, they’ve presided over some of the greatest increases in crime in Victoria history," Mr Guy said.
