Michaela Meade
The number of criminal offences recorded in Whittlesea and Hume fell in the 12 months to March, new Crime Statistics Agency data reveals.
CSA revealed that the number criminal offences in Whittlesea fell by 6.3 per cent from 16,670 offences in the year to March, 2020 to 16,019 in the year to March, 2021.
In Hume, the number of recorded offences fell 2.2 per cent to 21,047.
Overall, crime decreased by 1.8 per cent across the state.
Whittlesea inspector Geraldine Porter said the decrease in Whittlesea was some “you have to be proud of” and the result of hard work.
“Police have been doing a lot of targeted operations, targeting specific crimes,” she said.
“Whittlesea [Crime Investigation Unit] and the tasking team have worked incredibly hard.
“They have had some good results of late… in relation to taking some stuff off the streets.
“The community need to take some thanks as well… the public have been playing their part
“It’s a combination of all those things coming together.”
The type of crime with the most dramatic decrease in both Whittlesea and Hume was revealed to be property and deception offences.
In Whittlesea there were 9844 property and deception offences recorded in the 12 months to March, 2020, while there were 7501 in the year to March, 2021.
In Hume there were 11,658 recorded property and deception offences in the year to March, 2020, while there were 9044 offences in the year to March, 2021.
Crimes against the person have increased in Whittlesea, with the CSA reporting 2798 offences as of March, 2020, and 2868 as of March, 2021.
Whittlesea’s top five suburbs with reported crime were Epping (2663), Thomastown (1894), Mill Park (1414), Lalor (1149), and Mernda (948).
Steal from a motor vehicle was the principal offence in Whittlesea for 2021.
Inspector Porter said the community should “not become complacent” about their security, even given the “significant” decrease.
“People should ensure their security – of their home and property.
“Make sure there’s nothing left in their cars to make it attractive to steal from.
“And if you see anything suspicious, please call triple-0.”
Craigieburn was found to be the top suburb for crime in Hume, with 2884 offences recorded in the 12 months to March, 2021.
This was a decrease from the previous 12 months when 3013 offences were recorded.
Broadmeadows (2607), Meadow Heights (1017) and Roxburgh Park (971) were in the top five suburbs for crime in Hume for 2021.
Public health and safety offences were found to be the principal offence in Hume, with 2065 offences recorded.
