Repeat offenders responsible for half of crime

A SMALL number of offenders are responsible for almost half of all crime in Victoria, according to new research. And the most common offence is not what you might think.

A SMALL number of offenders are responsible for almost half of all crime in Victoria, according to new research from the Crime Statistics Agency.

The research revealed that 6.3 per cent of offenders recorded during the decade between June 2007 and June 2017 were responsible for 43.9 per cent of the total offender incidents recorded in Victoria.

Crime Statistics Agency Chief Statistician Catherine Andersson said: “Our research found there were a small number of chronic offenders who were responsible for almost half the recorded offender incidents during the 10-year study period.

WHO ARE VICTORIA’S MOST LIKELY CROOKS?

VIOLENT TEEN PRISONER ESCAPES ADULT JAIL CELL

“However, this figure does not account for criminal incidents that remain unsolved and therefore do not identify an offender.

“Previous studies, including those from New South Wales and the US, have also found that a small number of chronic offenders were responsible for a large proportion of crime — Victoria is not unique in that sense.”

The most common offence committed for the repeat offenders was non-aggravated burglary.

The 6.3 per cent included 26,315 individuals who were each recorded for more than 10 crimes during the study period.

Young people who were under the age of 25 (at the time their first offender incident was recorded) made up 54.2 per cent of the chronic offenders recorded for more than 10 offender incidents each.

“While there were fewer offenders aged under 25, a greater proportion were chronic offenders compared to those aged 25 years and over,” Ms Andersson said.

The majority of repeat offenders were male (83.3 per cent) and were born in Australia (84.3 per cent).

The most common offence committed for the repeat offenders was non-aggravated burglary followed by stealing from a retail store.

The most common recorded police outcome for chronic offenders was arrest, with individuals arrested for an average of 12.8 offender incidents each during the decade period.

Sergeant Cameron Scott said police understood people were concerned about crime but officers were working tirelessly to keep communities safe

“Some of the crimes we have witnessed this year have been confronting,” he said.

“But we must not lose sight of the fact that crime is coming down in Victoria.

“The latest crime statistics, released last month, showed the biggest drop in crime we have had since 1994.

“It was the third quarter in a row the crime rate has dropped, with almost 50,000 fewer offences in the 2017 calendar year compared to 2016.”

Sgt Scott said aggravated burglaries and home invasions were a priority for the force.

“We have been putting a lot of resources behind it,” he said.

“Over the past 12 months we have increased the number of proactive patrols in key hotspots and have dedicated teams of detectives responsible for investigating this type of offending.

“This work is paying off and we are arresting offenders in record numbers, a pattern we expect to continue as we recruit 3,135 additional police and roll out new equipment and training.

“These investments will provide Victoria Police with a huge uplift, making us more agile and responsive to emerging crime patterns.

“We take very seriously our responsibility to keep all Victorians safe.”