Sex offences up, 6880 youth crimes against person but crime in Victoria falls 5.6 per cent in year
YOUNG offenders are committing almost 20 crimes against the person — offences that include robbery and assault — a day across Victoria, new figures show. But overall crime is down in the year. The state’s crime hot spots have been named.
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SEX crimes have risen significantly in Victoria in the past year, new statistics show, but overall crime across the state has fallen.
The latest data released by the Crime Statistics Agency this morning shows the number of criminal incidents recorded by police in the year to June 30 was 383,100, down 5.6 per cent (405,976 incidents) on the previous 12 months.
Offence numbers also dropped 4.9 per cent to 506,862 compared to 532,893 the previous year.
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Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said police made a record 175,000 arrests in the past year.
There were also 24,000 less victims of crime, he said.
DC Patton attributed the drop in crime to their focus on targeting “high risk, high harm” recidivist offenders.
DC Patton said there was an overall reduction in youth crime but that a core group of recidivist youths were behind a large proportion of offences.
“There is a couple of hundred youths we are proactively targeting,” he said.
DC Patton said thugs breaking into homes to steal keys to luxury cars remains a problem.
The five local government areas with the highest criminal incident rates are Melbourne, Latrobe, Yarra, Mildura and Greater Shepparton.
Melbourne, Latrobe, Yarra, Greater Shepparton and Horsham had the highest recorded offence rate.
Criminal incidents with a principal offence of “crimes against the person” shot up by 2.1 per cent, or 1298 incidents.
A major factor behind the rise was a 13.3 per cent — or 1013 incidents — increase in sexual offences incidents to 8644.
Assault and related offences make up the largest proportion of crimes against the person incidents (62.8 per cent) followed by sexual offences (13.9 per cent) and stalking, harassment and threatening behaviour (11.4 per cent).
Alleged offender incidents for homicide offences have shot up by 30.2 per cent in the latest reporting period.
Between July 2016 and June 2017 there were 159 offences. Between July 2017 and June 2018 there were 207 offences.
In terms of offences recorded by type, homicides went down from 231 in 2017 to 220 in 2018.
Alleged offender incidents for homicide offences have shot up by 30.2 per cent in the latest reporting period.
Between July 2016 and June 2017 there were 159 offences. Between July 2017 and June 2018 there were 207 offences.
In terms of offences recorded by type, homicides went down from 231 in 2017 to 220 in 2018.
A “criminal incident” is described as criminal event that may include multiple offences, alleged offenders and/or victims, is recorded on the police LEAP database on a single date and as occurring at one location.
An “alleged offender incident” is an incident involving one or more offences to which an individual, business or organisation has been linked as an alleged offender.
A spokeswoman for Police Minister Lisa Neville said police are processing more people in relation to homicide but the statistics show the number of actual offences has decreased.
Youths aged 15-19 commit the most crime against people, according to the statistics.
The age category were allegedly responsible for 6880 crimes against person incidents over the past year.
There were also 1752 incidents involving youngsters between the ages of 10 and 14.
It comes following a year in which youth crime has plagued Melbourne.
Property damage is down 4 per cent, burglaries are down 16.3 per cent and justice procedure offences are down 7.3 per cent.
Theft is also down 8.5 per cent while drug dealing and trafficking is down 5.2 per cent.
Alleged offender incidents, an incident involving one or more offences to which an individual, business or organisation has been linked, is up one per cent while unique alleged offenders, defined as a person who has been involved in one or more alleged offender incidents, is up 2.7 per cent.
Victim reports decreased by 7.4 per cent and unique victims decreased by 7.1 per cent.
Family incidents also dropped 0.5 per cent from 76,494 to 76,124.
Although crime has dropped in the past year, over the past five years criminal incidents are up 11.2 per cent.
In 2013 there were 344,525 criminal incidents.
Speaking this morning, Ms Neville said comments by Prime Minister Scott Morrison declaring Victoria has a law and order problem were “unhelpful.”
She said the statistics show a “sustained” drop in crime over the past five quarters.
New offences including grooming and revenge porn had added to the 13.3 per cent rise in sex offences, she said.
Family violence and historical sex offences also contributed, she said.
Opposition police spokesman Edward O’Donohue said the government did not have law and order under control despite the fall in the crime rate.
“In the four years of the Andrews Labor Government violent crime is up but frontline police numbers are down,” he said.
“Figures supplied by The Police Association show there are now 190 fewer frontline police than there were in 2013 but crimes rates are up 10.36 per cent under Daniel Andrews.
“This election will be a referendum on who can fix violent crime in Victoria.
“At the next election Victorians will have a choice of more of the same soft touch approach from Daniel Andrews and Labor or the Liberal Nationals’ plan including more frontline police, reopening the police stations Daniel Andrews closed, mandatory sentencing for repeat violent offenders, a public sex offenders register for the ‘worst of the worst’, changes to concurrent sentences, tougher conditions for bail and a return to the principle that parole is a privilege and not a right.”
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Mr O’Donohue said police numbers had not kept up with the state’s sharp population growth.
“According to Community Safety Trustee Ron Iddles there are 17 police stations that are supposed to be open 24 hours a day that are closing at 11pm due to staffing issues,” Mr O’Donohue said.
“This is why the Coalition has a plan to manage our population growth by setting a minimum number of police, doctors, teachers and healthcare workers in local government areas and towns.
“While Victorians are less safe with increases in numbers of violent crimes, NSW is still experiencing dramatic declines in crime rates.
“The story of the Andrews Labor Government is cuts to frontline police while violent crimes against Victorians continue to increase.”
Originally published as Sex offences up, 6880 youth crimes against person but crime in Victoria falls 5.6 per cent in year
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