Campaspe Shire crime down by 4.3 per cent

In 2023, 2932 criminal incidents were recorded in Campaspe Shire in the year to June.

While criminal incidents were down overall, offence numbers were higher than the previous year.

The number of offences recorded increased by 6.5 per cent, from 3807 to 4055.

Campaspe Police Service Area Inspector Dave Bowler explained that this was largely due to an increase in single criminal incidents with multiple offences committed.

“You can have one criminal incident, but it can have multiple offences,” he said.

“A criminal incident may generate three offences.”

Statistics showed the highest number of thefts in Campaspe Shire in the past 10 years, matching 2019 with 850 theft offences, an increase from 784 last year.

Insp Bowler attributed many of these crimes to a core group of offenders, whom police have been able to identify.

“We’ve got a small cohort of repeat offenders that are causing us a lot of harm, in terms of property-related crime, burglaries, theft of motor vehicles and targeting businesses overnight,” he said.

“The community would be well aware that over the last couple of months, we’ve had a spate of overnight burglaries at businesses, where multiple businesses are getting targeting during the one night.

“We have been successful in identifying and charging and presenting before the courts a small cohort of offenders that are committing this crime.

“We will continue to do that and continue to target them.”

He said he believed it was typical for crimes such as theft to increase when there were higher cost-of-living pressures.

“One of the large contributing reasons is the fiscal environment and the pressures,” he said.

“We’re not surprised that we’re seeing an increase in theft as it becomes harder and harder for people to meet their needs.

“Unfortunately, we’ve got a cohort that are going out and substituting their income by stealing.”

This sentiment was echoed by Crime Statistics Authority chief statistician Fiona Dowsley in March 2024, after similar increases were seen across the state.

“This rapid increase in crimes involving the acquisition of property may be related to cost-of-living pressures,” she said.

“The increase in property-related crime was the largest contributor to the overall increase in crime in the last year.”

Insp Bowler encouraged residents to take preventative measures for crimes such as theft and burglaries, by locking their cars and houses.

The rise of these crimes in smaller towns, such as Tongala, Gunbower, Lockington and Torrumbarry, also means that people on farms should be aware, especially of farm crimes.

“We’re trying to ensure that we’ve got appropriate things, mitigation strategies in place to combat that,” Insp Bowler said.

“We really need the community to ensure that they’re insuring their properties and their goods on farms because we know that they’re getting targeted.”

Family violence incidents grew by 8.2 per cent, from 768 to 831.

There was also an increase in offences recorded in the home compared to on the street, which Insp Bowler said he believed could be attributed to more family violence incidents.

“Family violence is up,” Insp Bowler said.

“At the start of the year, nationally, we had — and still do have — a massive national issue with violence against women.

“As that is highlighted in the media, more and more people are coming forward and reporting family violence.

“We really need people to report. It doesn’t have to be reported to the police. It can be reported to Safe Steps, and it can be reported to the Orange Door — we just need people to get support somewhere.”

There has been an increase in breaches of orders offences recorded, with 797 recorded this year compared to 2023’s tally of 670.

This is the result of proactive policing, where officers are monitoring previous offenders.

“Through holding our offenders to account and through the work that we’re doing with perpetrators and our offenders, we are doing proactive work,” Insp Bowler said.

“We’re doing proactive visits to victim-survivors, we’re doing proactive visits to ensure compliance with bail conditions and court-imposed outcomes.

“Therefore, when we’re doing these visits, we’re identifying offences, and then we’re holding to account and charging for them.

“If we weren’t doing that proactive work, we would not identify a lot of these offences.”

Insp Bowler encouraged members of the community to speak up if they were aware of any crimes, regardless of how big or small they seemed.

“Please ensure if you see something: let us know,” Insp Bowler said.

“You may have that last piece of information that we’re waiting for to be able to take action.

“We can’t help you if we don’t know about it.

“If you are a victim of a crime — even if you think there’s nothing that the police can do — I would encourage you to report it.”

Victims and witnesses can report crimes through the police assistance line (131 444), online, by visiting a station or by ringing 000.