Media Release

MEDIA RELEASE

Embargo: 9:00AM Thursday 16 March 2017

Latest crime statistics show increases in theft and burglary/break and enter offences

 
The Crime Statistics Agency has today released its recorded crime statistics for Victoria for the year ending 31 December 2016.

Recorded crime statistics show that there were 552,005 offences recorded by Victoria Police in the year to December 2016, up 10.2% compared to the same period last year. This equated to an offence rate of 9,119.0 per 100,000 of the population, up 8.1% from the previous year. A large proportion of this increase is attributed to increases in property and deception offences, which were up 11% and comprised 60.1% of all recorded crimes in Victoria in the last 12 months.

Offender incidents increased by 11.9% to 179,267 offender incidents in the year ending December 2016, making the Victorian offender rate 2,961.4 offender incidents per 100,000 population. Almost half of all offenders were aged between 20 and 34, with this age group making up 46% of all offender incidents in the last 12 months.

 
The victimisation rate increased by 11.4% compared to the same period last year, making the rate 5,598.9 per 100,000 population in the year to December 2016.
 

Crime Statistics Agency Chief Statistician Fiona Dowsley said that while property and deception offences overall have increased in the last 12 months, most of this increase is due to increases in theft offences.

‘Our analysis shows that more than one third of all recorded offences in Victoria are theft related.’ Ms Dowsley said.

‘The increase in thefts are driven by increases in motor vehicle theft and thefts from motor vehicles, with these offences making up nearly half of all theft offences.’

Further information can be found in the latest crime statistics quarterly release, available from the CSA website:

http://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/home/crime-statistics/latest-crime-data/