Family violence offences highest ever recorded

The year saw the most arrests by Victoria Police since 2005, with an average of 194 arrests per day and a total of 70,863 arrests.

Those arrests resulted in a total of 268,142 offences.

The top offences to record the greatest year-on-year increase were: theft from a motor vehicle and theft from a retail store, with meat, fresh produce, cosmetics and vitamins among the items most frequently stolen.

Other theft, motor vehicle theft and family violence order breaches constituted the rest of the top five.

“Our officers are determined to seek justice for all victims of crime and over the past year, Victoria Police made 70,863 arrests — almost 200 per day and the most since 2005,” Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Neil Paterson said.

“Rising crime has been driven by several factors, led by a surge in family violence.

“For the first time ever, Victoria reached the unwanted milestone of more than 100,000 family violence incidents — meaning police responded to a family violence incident every five minutes.”

Police responded to 102,082 family violence incidents.

Contributing factors include difficult economic times, and a rise in technology-enabled stalking and harassment — particularly in relation to former intimate partner relationships.

Aggravated assault of a female increased by 92.2 per cent year-on-year, with 81 per cent of these incidents related to family violence.

Family violence-related offending accounted for 20.7 per cent of all crime committed in Victoria.

Repeat family violence offenders are most prevalent in regional areas, with family violence-related assaults, harassment and rapes increasing at a higher rate regionally than in Melbourne.

Tragically, there were also 30 family violence-related homicides over this reporting period — 12 of which were in regional Victoria.

Some factors that influence family violence offending in regional Victoria include greater drug and alcohol use, higher levels of unemployment, and victims feeling fearful to speak up given the close-knit nature of these towns and the reputation or status their abuser may hold.

Police traditionally see a spike in family violence reports over the Christmas and new-year period.

“Sadly, the festive and new year period is not a happy time in all homes, with family violence offences increasing sharply on Christmas Day last year,” Deputy Commissioner Paterson said.

“Over the coming weeks, police will be proactively checking on known offenders, while we also encourage people to look out for warning signs that their family and friends may be a victim of family violence.

“Other factors behind the overall increase in crime include a tough economic climate.”

On Christmas Day alone last year, police responded to 372 family violence incidents — up from the yearly daily average of 279.

The most common form of family violence recorded on Christmas Day involved perpetrators breaching orders — with 91 offences recorded, as well as assault — with 79 offences recorded.

“We want the community to safely enjoy the festive season, so they don’t become a statistic we’re talking about next year,” Deputy Commissioner Paterson said.

“Look after your family, friends and other community members this festive season, whether you’re on the roads, at a licensed venue or in the home.”