Surf Coast police reveal how they’re tackling the shire’s most common crimes

New figures have uncovered which crimes are causing the most headaches for Surf Coast residents and police. EVERY SUBURB

Surf Coast thieves are proving a huge headache for police, new crime statistics have revealed.

Theft was the most common offence across the entire municipality last year, while assault-related offences hit a six-year high.

The municipality saw a 79 per cent increase in non-family violence related common assault, and a 6.9 per cent increase in family violence breaches.

Burglary, breaking and entering, assault and breaches of court orders like family violence orders also ranked highly among the shire’s larger towns.

Supt Peter Ward

Theft

Theft was the most common offence across the entire municipality last year, including towns like Torquay, Lorne, Anglesea and Winchelsea.

But data from the Crime Statistics Agency revealed across the municipality had fallen from 465 recorded offences in 2020 to 395 thefts last year.

Torquay chef Troy Schrammeijer served time behind bars last year after breaking into two Surf Coast eateries.

Troy Schrammeijer

He swiped $500 and a tip jar containing $300 from a Vietnamese restaurant he once worked at, and two months later used an angle grinder to cut a padlock outside another restaurant and steal $6000 worth of alcohol.

“You need some time to consider how you are going to approach the rest of your life,” Magistrate Peter Mellas said at the time.

Torquay Mum Lisa Trison made headlines at multiple points through the year after swindling several Geelong employers out of $380,000 to fund designer handbags, clothes and a Queensland holiday.

Trison was sentenced to six years and two months behind bars, with a minimum of four years and six months.

Burglary, breaking and entering, assault and breaches of court orders like family violence orders also ranked highly among the shire’s larger towns.

Superintendent Peter Ward urged the community to lock up cars and valuables.

“Police continue to target theft-related crime through regular patrols of known crime hot spots and the monitoring of recidivist offenders in our community,” he said.

“We will continue to do our bit to actively target thieves, but community members also have a role to play in preventing this type of crime.”

Rising assault levels

Shire-wide the number of assaults his its highest point since 2012, recording 148 offences last year.

It ranked among the most common crimes at Jan Juc, Anglesea, Torquay and Lorne.

Con Jason Anastasi made headlines last year when he punched an elderly neighbour outside her Anglesea home in an unprovoked attack.

The pair had been living next to each other for 14 years when he approached her outside her unit. After a brief exchange she asked him to leave her alone, and he returned to his unit only to emerge a short time later and strike her in the face.

He was later sentenced, convicted and forced to pay $200 to the court fund.

Supt Ward said the Family Violence unit worked closely with agencies like Orange Door, Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative, and Bethany’s Men’s Family Violence Intervention Centre to ensure both victims and perpetrators get the help they need.

“We want every single person in our community to feel safe in their own home, so we will continue to check up on known family violence perpetrators to keep this goal in sight,” he said.

“Police have zero tolerance for those who jeopardise the safety of others by resorting to violence. We will not hesitate to step in and hold people to account.”

Originally published as Surf Coast police reveal how they’re tackling the shire’s most common crimes