Mornington Peninsula tops the list as Melbourne’s homicide capital
A popular beachside council area has topped the list as Melbourne’s homicide capital. Find out if where you live features in the dubious list.
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A prestigious beachside council area has topped the list as Melbourne’s homicide capital, new data reveals.
A Leader analysis of the Crime Statistics Agency Victoria’s data for the ending March 2020 has found Mornington Peninsula had the highest number of homicide and related offences with 11 — measured as a rate per 100,000 population — followed closely by Frankston at 10 and Hume 10.
Homicide is not restricted to murder but includes offences such as manslaughter and culpable driving, which also result in the death of a person.
The offence category of homicide also includes attempts and other degrees of the offence. One person may have been charged with more than one homicide offence.
The Mornington Peninsula tally includes one single charge of murder and one single charge of manslaughter, while the other charges are road-related offences including culpable driving and drive in a manner dangerous causing death (one which relates to a marine incident).
In three of the incidents, one offender was charged with two offences.
Other hotspots to top the list include Stonnington with 9, Melbourne 8, Greater Dandenong 7, Casey and Yarra Ranges, 6 and Kingston and Monash 5.
In February, a Merricks woman died when the car in which she was a passenger and a tow truck collided at Tuerong.
In April last year, security guard Aaron Osmani, 37, and patron Richard Arow, 28, died from injuries suffered when the fatal shots were fired as they stood outside a South Yarra nightclub.
In May last year, two men fronted Melbourne Magistrates’ Court charged with one count each of murder after the death of an “acquaintance” at an Endeavour Hills home.
Overall, crime was up significantly in Victoria with latest data showing a spike of more than 6 per cent of incidents recorded year-on-year.
The Crime Statistics Agency said the number of criminal incidents recorded by police in the year to March 31 was 409,841 — up 6.1 per cent on the previous 12 months.
The highest increases in crime over the past year occurred for the offences of theft, burglaries, breach of orders, property damage and drug possession.
Family violence surged more than 5.8 per cent in the last year with 85,923 incidents, the highest figure the agency has ever recorded.
Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said last month police would do “everything” to address crime and was pleased more than 175,000 offenders had been processed, up 3.5 per cent on the previous year.
“We recognise these aren’t just figures, these are people,” he said.
“We have a number of strategies in place to deal with high harm, high impact crime. We are completely focused on trying to hold people to account.”
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Homicide and related offences year ending March 2020
Mornington Peninsula 11
Frankston 10
Hume 10
Stonnington 9
Melbourne 8
Greater Dandenong 7
Casey 6
Yarra Ranges 6
Kingston 5
Monash 5
Boroondara 4
Knox 4
Whittlesea 4
Banyule 2
Cardinia 2
Glen Eira 2
Macedon Ranges 2
Manningham 2
Maroondah 2
Melton 2
Moonee Valley 2
Moreland 2
Port Phillip 2
Whitehorse 2
Wyndham 2
Source: Crime Statistics Agency