Data shows crime on rise

Member for Lowan Emma Kealy has used data to back up claims that crime has increased dramatically in municipalities in her electorate since Labor won government in 2014.

She said new figures released by the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency last month showed 1509 offences in Southern Grampians Shire in the year to June 2018.

“That’s an increase of 58.34 percent since Premier Daniel Andrews took office four years ago,” she said.

She added figures also revealed offences had continued to rise sharply in Hindmarsh and Yarriambiack shires, with rises of 47.37 and 47.04 percent respectively.

“Statewide figures show since Daniel Andrews was elected common assaults are up 38 percent, rape is up 20.82, sexual offences against children are up 56.45, aggravated robbery is up 24.12, non-aggravated robbery is up 85.29 and aggravated burglary is up 43.05 percent,” she said.

“At the same time, figures supplied by The Police Association show there are now 190 fewer frontline police than there were in 2013.

“Victoria has become the crime capital of Australia under Daniel Andrews.

“We are in the grips of a law and order crisis, but the premier has watered down bail laws, weakened sentencing and failed to equip our regional police with adequate resources to protect our streets.

“Our hard-working police do a fantastic job with the resources at hand, but Labor’s soft-touch approach and cuts to the number of frontline police is making their job so much harder.”

Ms Kealy said part of the Nationals response was to fund a rebuild of Coleraine Police Station and start planning for a new police station and courthouse precinct in Hamilton.

“Lowan residents have a clear choice at the November election – more of the same soft-touch approach from Labor, or the Liberal-nationals’ plan including more frontline police; reopening police stations; mandatory sentencing for repeat violent offenders; a public sex offenders register for the ‘worst of the worst’; changes to concurrent sentences; tougher conditions for bail; and a return to the principal that parole is a privilege, not a right,” she said.

“Our hard-working police do a fantastic job with the resources at hand, but Labor’s soft-touch approach and cuts to the number of frontline police is making their job so much harder” – Emma Kealy