The Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) released the Victorian recorded crime statistics for the year ending 30 September 2021 today.
The recorded offences rate decreased 9.8% to 7,430.6 per 100,000 Victorians in the last 12 months, as did the number of offences, down 10.0% to 496,260. This decrease was driven by acquisitive crime types and Breach of Chief Health Officer (CHO) directions*. In contrast, Crimes against the person offences increased in the last 12 months, up 2.2% to 84,756, with the main contributor’s non-family violence (FV) related Common assault and Serious assault. Despite the overall decrease in offences, FV-related offences increased 4.3% to 112,062 offences. Half of all FV-related offences were E20 Breach of order offences (up 7.6% or 3,992 to 56,280 offences).
In the 12 months to 30 September 2021 the criminal incident rate decreased 13.0% to 5,358.1 per 100,000 Victorians as did the number of incidents, down 13.2% to 357,847 incidents.
Alleged offender incidents decreased 10.5% to 173,478 in the last 12 months; the rate also decreased 10.4% to 2,955.7 per 100,000. This decrease was driven by fewer Breach of CHO directions offences*, drug offences and acquisitive crime types. On the other hand, E21 Breach family violence order increased (up 17.0%), as did A23 Common assault and A21 Serious assault.
The victimisation rate decreased by 6.8% to 3,018.4 reports per 100,000 Victorians, as did the count of person victim reports (down 7.0% to 201,564). This decrease was driven by acquisitive crime types. Family violence-related victims remained stable in the last 12 months while non-FV Crimes against the person increased (main contributor Non-FV Assault offence types).
Family incidents increased 2.8% in the last 12 months to 95,552 incidents, as did the rate of family incidents, also up 3.1% to 1,385.8 incidents per 100,000 Victorians. The first quarter (Oct to Dec 2020) recorded the most incidents, with a decreasing trend observed in the following quarters.
CSA Chief Statistician Fiona Dowsley said that “COVID-19-related restrictions on movement have continued to coincide with decreases in the more opportunistic crime types such as theft, however, there have been fewer Breaches CHO directions offences recorded in the past 12 months.”
”While half of the FV-related offences recorded in the last 12 months were Breaches of orders, increases in Crimes against the person offences were driven by non-FV-related assaults” Ms Dowsley said.
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)
* To represent Breach of CHO offences in Alleged offender incidents F92 Public health and safety offences is used as a proxy as the majority of the offences recorded in this group are Breach of CHO offences (99.8%).
^ Please note that movements over time in recorded crime data may be impacted by changes in legislation and operational police practice.