GEELONG CRIME CLIMBS

SOME crimes in Geelong including aggravated residential burglaries, assaults, drug possession and stalking are now at decade-high rates.

The Crime Statistics Agency figures for the year to March 31 released yesterday reveal the overall crime rate in the City of Greater Geelong was 6473 incidents per 100,000 people — a rise of about 5 per cent on the 2019 figure but below the region’s crime rate for the three years before 2019.

The city recorded a series of decade-high crime rates for “crimes against the person”, including assaults on police and emergency services; family violence, including serious assaults; non-aggravated robbery; and stalking harassment and threatening behaviour

Decade-high crime rates were also recorded for residential aggravated burglary and weapons and explosives and drug offences.

But in other areas, the city had decade-low records for arson, property damage and public order and security offences.

Geelong police superintendent Craig Gillard said Geelong was inherently a safe place, and police were aware of a “cadre” of recidivist offenders behind much of the city’s highharm crime.

“We’re very much targeting those that are committing the crime and, as I say, the majority of our crime, in terms of our volume crime, our high-harm, high-impact crime is committed by recidivist offenders,” Supt Gillard said.

“They are well known to us, we are well known to them.

“We did see a spike in offending over that (year to March 31) period, there’s no doubt about that.”

Supt Gillard said the rise in reported family violence crimes told police p that there was “a greater degree of confidence and comfort in people reporting family violence, but sadly it’s clearly still occurring in order for them to report it”.

Bellarine MP and Police Minister Lisa Neville said the substantial 13.6 per cent increase in Geelong’s family violence incidents was concerning, and she has welcomed the allocation of 13 family violence specialist police officers to the region.

“The rate of family violence incidents in Geelong is incredibly concerning, but we know victim survivors are seeking the support they need from our police,” Ms Neville said.

“They’ll continue their hard work to hold perpetrators to account and keep vulnerable Victorians safe.

“It’s encouraging to see significant decreases in some areas such as deception, abduction and burglary and break and enter, but other increases throughout Geelong and across the state tell us there’s still work to be done — and we take these statistics very seriously.”

The Opposition’s police and community safety spokesman, David Southwick, hit out at the Government for Geelong’s placement as the area with the second greatest volume of “high harm person-related victim reports”, which is arrived at by volume rather than rate per 100,000 people.

“Geelong taking the silver medal for the most high-impact crime is nothing to brag about and demonstrates Daniel Andrews’ total failure to keep Geelong and Bellarine communities safe,” Mr Southwick said.

“What hope does Labor have of tackling spiking crime rates when such highimpact offending is allowed to occur right under the nose of the local member and Police Minister Lisa Neville?”