Victorian crime stats: Data reveals increase in stolen cars, decrease in serious crime across Geelong

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Western Region Division 1 divisional superintendent Peter Ward. Picture: Alison Wynd

Geelong’s top cop has outlined how police will tackle a sharp increase in motor vehicle crimes across the city.

According to the latest Crime Statistics Agency data, there has been a 28.1 per cent spike in stealing from motor vehicle offences to the year ending September 2022, with the number of stolen cars also jumping from 569 to 631 compared to the previous year.
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A surge in breaches of family violence orders had also been recorded, with an increase of more than 18 per cent from 2344 to 2771.

Car related crime has increased in the year ending September 2022, with stealing from motor vehicles up more than 18 per cent.

Geelong Superintendent Peter Ward said despite the spike in some offending, overall crime was at its second lowest level since 2015.
“While more cars are being broken into, this remains consistent with pre-pandemic levels,” he said.
“Local police will continue to run a range of proactive operations targeting offenders such as property thieves, drug traffickers and family violence offenders.”

Superintendent Ward said units would be patrolling the community “every single night” across the festive period “on the lookout for opportunistic offenders looking to break into cars and homes.”

“On top of this, we are also closely monitoring known recidivist thieves to make it as difficult as possible for them to offend,” he said.

The latest stats show a slight 0.1 per cent increase in overall crime across the Greater Geelong Area compared to last year.

Superintendent Ward said police would be out in force across the city over Christmas. Picture: Alison Wynd

Homicide and related offences - the most serious crime category - had dipped by more than 58 per cent from 12 to five, while drug related offences had decreased by 22 per cent, down 253 offences on last year.

Sexual offences were also down from 553 to 486.
Interestingly, there was 1,022 less cars broken into in Geelong than the same period in 2016 – which was the highest point in the past decade.

“We do expect offending will gradually increase as we move further away from the pandemic,’ Superintendent Ward said.

After going three years without a homicide related offence, the Surf Coast shire recorded three in 2022.

However, property, theft and drug related offences were all down on the previous 12 month period.

Surf Coast local area commander, Inspector Monique Leffanue.

Surf Coast Local Area Commander, Inspector Monique Leffanue, said her team had been working “incredibly hard” to have “high visibility” in an effort to tackle offending.

“We are making sure we are tasking to our problem times with high visibility and working in with all our stakeholders and the community to reduce crime,” she said.

“It is pleasing to see that is occurring.”

In Queenscliff, the only notable shift had been a slight increase in overall thefts.

Meanwhile across the state, Victoria saw a 4.3 per cent reduction in criminal offences as a whole from the same twelve-month period in 2021.

The statewide figure was the lowest number since 2014, according to Victoria Police, with the overall offence rate per 100,000 people reduced by 5 per cent - the lowest since 2011.

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Originally published as Victorian crime stats: Data reveals increase in stolen cars, decrease in serious crime across Geelong