Victoria records 10-year high for recorded offences at schools

Classroom crims are hitting schools nearly 120 times a week, with the state’s education facilities becoming happy hunting grounds for brazen crooks.

Victoria has recorded more than 6000 offences at schools across the state.

Victoria’s schoolyards have become happy hunting grounds for the state’s crooks who committed more than 6000 total offences on school property last year.

Police recorded nearly 120 offences per week at Victorian schools or school grounds in the year to September 2024 — an eight per cent increase on the previous year and the highest overall figure in a decade, new data from the Crime Statistics Agency revealed.

The data included offences at all educational centres across the state.

Schools in Hume in Melbourne’s north were the biggest targets for crime during this time — with 359 total offences — overtaking Casey, Wyndham, City of Melbourne and Geelong after an 89 per cent spike in offences in 2024.

Burglary was the most common crime picked up by police on school grounds, with nearly 700 offences in the past year — most of which are believed to have occurred after hours.

Schools in the City of Casey in Melbourne’s southeast were the biggest targets for burglary during this time followed by Geelong, Cardinia, Hume and Ballarat.

General theft offences also increased by 15 per cent at schools in the past 12 months.

One teacher from a high school in Melbourne’s northern suburbs said there had been many complaints about thefts of equipment from schools under construction.

“There are lots of schools being built and what was happening was people were coming in and taking the copper piping in particular,” the teacher said.

Crime data obtained by the Herald Sun also revealed an increase in bicycles being stolen from school grounds, with students attending school within the City of Melbourne nearly three times more likely to have their bikes stolen than anywhere else.

A Victoria Police spokesman said “anecdotally” most burglaries and theft occurred outside of school hours.

“Burglaries, thefts, and assaults are the most common offences committed at school locations,” he said.

“Almost 70 per cent of all assaults at schools are non-family violence common assaults.

“Common assaults are minor assaults with no injuries sustained – consistent with a schoolyard push and shove.”

Wyndham schools in Melbourne’s west had the most common assault incidents across the state last year.

It comes as the Herald Sun revealed there were nearly 90 suspensions a day at Victorian government primary and secondary schools in the past five years.

Mount Ridley P-12 College had the highest number of suspensions in the state, with a total of 1844 students suspended over the five years.

A Department of Education spokesman said the government had “zero tolerance” for crime at schools.

“Government schools have clear processes in place to respond to any incidents of violence and aggression, including reporting incidents to police where appropriate,” he said.

“The data includes offences that occur outside of school hours and may be committed by people unrelated to schools, universities or TAFE campuses.”