A targeted approach to addressing serious crime across Brimbank has led to a reduction in the crime rate, according to police.
Figures released by the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency last month show that overall crime in Brimbank fell 8.8 per cent in the year ending June, 2017.
The reduction is the first significant drop to Brimbank’s crime rate in more than five years, a statistic Brimbank local area commander Dallas Normington described as a positive.
“We’re obviously aware that there’s still issues, but the reduction in the overall crime rate is something we’re certainly pleased about,” Inspector Normington said.
“We’ve implemented a targeted approach to address the high volume of serious crime across Brimbank and as a result we’ve been able to address key areas.
“There’s also an increased night-time police presence in Brimbank, which has also played a role in reducing the rate.”
In a further positive, drug-related offences fell 19.3 per cent, a figure Inspector Normington says is a direct result of the targeted approach.
“We have a dedicated crew for drug-related offending which took a really targeted approach to people distributing drugs,” he said.
“We have a focus on higher-end offending, which has contributed to the drop. However, we acknowledge there’s still an issue with much work to be done.”
While the overall crime rate has fallen, Brimbank experienced a four per cent rise in crimes against the person.
Given that spike, Inspector Normington said police would develop strategies to best deal with the growing issue.
“We appreciate the fact crimes against the person have risen and will continue to work in regards to developing a positive saturation approach and responding to particular issues quickly,” he said.
He said there had been a rise in the reporting of offences such as domestic violence, which could have also contributed to the increase in crimes against the person.
“While we don’t like to see crime increase, it’s a positive that people feel confident to report these crimes and allows us to provide support for victims,” he said.
Inspector Normington praised the community role in reducing Brimbank crime.
“The community play a really significant role by providing information to support our investigation,” he said. “As always, we’d encourage anyone with information regarding a crime to contact Crimestoppers.”
