By Laura Michell
Theft from motor vehicles have helped drive up crime in Hume and Whittlesea, new crime data reveals.
According to the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA), there were 22,010 criminal offences recorded in Hume in 2024 – an increase of 20.2 per cent from 2023 when 18,311 offences were recorded.
The municipality recorded the state’s fifth highest crime rate behind City of Melbourne (42,742 offences), Casey (27,285), Geelong (25,086) and Wyndham (23,045).
In Whittlesea, there were 17,048 offences recorded, a rise of 28.9 per cent from the 13,229 offences recorded in 2023.
Victoria Police Regional Operations Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill described the overall crime rates in Victoria as “totally unacceptable”.
“The sad reality is that more crime equates to more victims involving members of community, who in some cases, will be impacted for life,” he said.
CSA data revealed that stealing from a motor vehicle was the most common offence in both municipalities. In Hume, there were 3070 thefts from a motor vehicle recorded while 2065 offences were recorded in Whittlesea.
Police said stealing from a motor vehicle was also the most common – and fastest growing – crime across the state, driven by theft of number plates and power tools.
In Hume, ‘other theft’ offences (taking in theft of petrol or personal belonging when the owner puts them down) were the second most common crime, with 2289 offences recorded, followed by breaches of family violence orders (2150), criminal damage (1553) and theft of a motor vehicle (1413).
Police said that across the state, motor vehicle theft had reached its highest level since 2022.
Mr Hill said technology was playing a part in the rising number of vehicle thefts, with offenders using electronic devices to exploit vehicle security systems and steal cars.
“Victoria Police continues to engage vehicle manufacturers around this issue, while vehicle owners can protect themselves from falling victim by installing cheap and easy crime prevention measures.”
In Whittlesea, 871 motor vehicle thefts were reported however it was not one of the municipalities top five crimes.
Breaches of family violence orders was the second most common crime in Whittlesea (2047 offences), followed by other theft (1899), stealing from a retail store (1248) and criminal damage (1216).
