Esther Lauaki
By Esther Lauaki
A spike in thefts was the main driver behind a 7.5 per cent increase in crime in Brimbank for the year ending in June.
Crime Statistics Agency data, released last Thursday, showed the total number of offences in Brimbank rose from 18,732 in the 12-months to June 2019, to 20,242 in the year to June 2020.
The increase was driven by a 16 per cent jump in recorded thefts to 7766 offences – the highest in nearly a decade.
Most other property and deception offences fell including arson (62 offences to 57), property damage (1231 to 1209) and deception (1191 to 1037).
Significant increases were recorded in robberies, up 28 per cent to 350 offences; drug use and possession up 11 per cent to 1038 offences; and miscellaneous offences which rose from 10 to 194.
St Albans was by far the worst suburb when it came to the number of incidents, with 4006 reports to police – more than 600 more than second-placed Sunshine (3415).
The high number of theft offences in Brimbank reflected the statewide prevalence in thefts which accounted for most of the criminal incidents recorded in the past year.
Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent said last week that police would be honing in on gang crime across the state.
Victoria Police’s recently launched Operation Alliance aims to prevent, disrupt and dismantle street gangs.
“Some of these gangs we know are responsible for some of the serious and violent crime that’s been occurring in metropolitan Melbourne and also in some rural areas over the past year,” Deputy Commissioner Nugent said.
“They are responsible for car thefts, aggravated burglaries, home invasions, robberies, serious assaults and knife crime.
“What we have observed is these gangs starting to move outside of their local area.
“In the past, most of our policing efforts have been locally. What we will do now is have an integrated and co-ordinated approach to gangs in every region .. .we’ll be focussing on those people in those gangs causing the most harm.”
He said police will be better connected, sharing information, enforcement and supporting agencies to “rid the community of these gangs”.
COVID-19 restrictions, which were expected to spark an increase in family violence incidents, were in place for a small portion of this reporting period.
