Youth crime bucks trend in statistics

A 14.7 per cent decrease in criminal offences has reflected a state-wide trend for the past 12 months, but local police are concerned about increased crime among youth in the area.

Targeted police operations will focus on youth crime in coming weeks as latest crime statistics showed assaults in Baw Baw police services area bucked the trend with a 13 per cent increase, largely because of youth crime.

Latest Crime Statistics Agency figures for the year ending March 31 showed 4265 offences recorded for the 12 month period, the lowest since 3975 in 2018. The number of offences per 100,000 population was 7313 - the lowest it has been since 6156 in 2013.

Crime in Warragul, Drouin and Trafalgar decreased for the period while the number of recorded offences in Longwarry and Yarragon increased.

The biggest decreases were in property crime where burglaries decreased 41.4 per cent and thefts were down 2.2 per cent. Drug offences also decreased 22.5 per cent.

Baw Baw PSA inspector Alison Crombie said the crime statistics in the area were better than the state average with the number of criminal incidents across the board well down.

She said the significant decrease in burglaries was a reflection of the period including the tail end of COVID restrictions when people were still home and property crime decreased.

However, in recent months, there has been a significant spike in thefts from cars and petrol drive-off which was reflected in only a marginal decrease in the number of thefts.

Insp Crombie said the most significant area of concern was the increased number of assaults, that was mainly stemming from youth crime.

“Our non family violence assaults are being fuelled by youth around bus depots and transit hubs.

“They have been random, unprovoked attacks on young people.

She said before and after school, particularly in transport hubs was a major concern. In some incidents, youths had been targeted by individuals or groups wanting their shoes.

Insp Crombie said police would run targeted operations over coming weeks and into the school holidays.

An increased police presence around central business districts, liquor outlets, hotels and transit hubs will aim to curb the behaviour.

She said the targeted operations aimed to create a police presence in key areas to give people confidence they could be safe while also sending a message to offenders.

She said police already worked closely with licensed venue operators to maintain safe social environments.

Ms Crombie said police also were working closely with packaged liquor outlets in town where there had been an increase in alcohol thefts, again largely by young people.

She attributed the increased levels of youth crime to boredom during COVID and a lack of discipline and socialisation.

Insp Crombie said while family violence rates in Baw Baw remained stable, she said they were higher than state trends.

The number of family violence incidents for the period per 100,000 population in Baw Baw was 1688, compared to the state rate of 1360.

Crime in Drouin, Trafalgar and Warragul decreased for the period, with the biggest decrease in Trafalgar being 36.2 per cent, down to 250 offences. In Warragul there were 1639 offences (a decrease of 11.5 per cent) and there were 1034 offences in Drouin (down 23 per cent).

But the trend reversed in Longwarry and Yarragon where there was a 13 per cent increase in Longwarry with 280 offences recorded and a 6.4 per cent increase in Yarragon with 231 offences recorded.

Across the Gippsland region, Baw Baw sits in the medium range for the number of offences recorded per 100,000 of population with 7313 offences.

Other Gippsland municipalities’ crime rate per 100,000 population were: South Gippsland 5387, Cardinia 5242, Bass Coast 7522, Wellington 9431, East Gippsland 10,120 and Latrobe 14,412.