Media Release: Increases in Steal from a motor vehicle and Public health and safety offences contribute to increases in key crime measures over the last 12 months

The Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) released the Victorian recorded crime statistics for the year ending 30 June 2020 today.

In the 12 months to 30 June 2020 the number of criminal incidents increased by 5.6% or 21,805 incidents to 407,768, the highest in CSA data holdings, which go back to July 2004. The criminal incident rate increased 3.9% to 6,080.6 incidents per 100,000 Victorians.

The number of recorded offences increased by 6.0% or 30,659 offences to 544,237. The offence rate increased by 4.2% to 8,115.6 offences per 100,000 Victorians in the last 12 months. The offence types that have contributed to this increase include Steal from a motor vehicle up 11.9% or 6,621 to 62,430 offences, Public health and safety offences up 4,719.7% or 5,994 to 6,121 offences, Drug possession up 16.8% or 4,247 to 29,497 offences and Breach family violence order up 9.7% or 4,239 to 48,071 offences.

Alleged offender incidents increased by 12.5% (20,077 incidents) to 180,458 in the last 12 months, while the alleged offender incident rate increased by 10.6% to 3,068.5 per 100,000 population.

In the last 12 months, the total number of victim reports increased by 5.3% to 316,186. The business/organisation victim reports increased by 4.6% to 85,815. The person victim reports increased by 5.5% to 230,371, while the victimisation rate increased by 3.8% to 3,435.3 reports per 100,000 Victorians.

Family related incidents increased 6.7% in the last 12 months to the highest on record, 88,214 incidents. The rate of family incidents recorded increased by 5.0% to 1,315.4 incidents per 100,000 population.

In the year ending June 2020 two new COVID-19 offences codes were introduced, together there were 6,062 offences recorded, driving the increase in Public Health and Safety offences.

CSA Chief Statistician Fiona Dowsley said that “in the last six months there have been significant impacts from COVID-19 and the public health response. Over 6,000 offences were recorded for breaches of Chief Health Officer directions in the year ending 30 June 2020. However, pandemic impacts will carry through to future crime statistics and be the subject of further CSA analysis.”

More detailed information is available on the latest crime data webpage.

For further information please contact: 

Crime Statistics Agency
Email: info@crimestatistics.vic.gov.au (External link) 

^ Please note that movements over time in recorded crime data may be impacted by changes in legislation and operational police practice.