By Corey Everitt
Crime rates in Cardinia are continuing to rise, with an 8.3 per cent increase in the 2022-23 period, but the total level still remains below pre-pandemic levels.
Fresh statistics from the Crime Statistics Agency, published on Thursday 28 September, showed Cardinia Shire recorded a total 6806 offences in the year ending June. This is an increase from 6287 offences recorded over 2022.
The rate stands at 5343 offences per-100,000 population, more than the 5110 offences per-100,000 recorded in June 2022.
This rate still sits at 28 per cent below the current state-wide crime rate of 7494 offences per-100,000 population.
While considering Cardinia’s 8.3 per cent rise since last year, the number of offences is still 5.9 per cent below the level of offences recorded in the year ending June 2020, which was 7239 specifically.
Top offences remained the same with family violence still the top offence, along with theft and property damage.
There were 834 breaches of family violence orders in Cardinia over the year ending in June.
This number means breaches of family violence are still the top offence in Cardinia, however it is a slight drop since 2022 which recorded 883 offences.
The recent spike in car thefts has been reflected in 2023’s statistics, as theft from motor vehicles is the second leading offence in Cardinia with 641 recorded.
This is a rise of 16 per cent compared to the 538 car thefts recorded in 2022.
This number beat criminal property damage which is the third leading offence, as the numbers remained steady at 550 offences recorded, compared to 554 recorded in 2022.
Pakenham is still the central location of crime, with 58 per cent of Cardinia’s offences recorded in town for a total of 4004 offences.
This is an increase of 6.9 per cent of offences in Pakenham since last year, though representing the majority of crime this was not the highest rise for Cardinia’s suburbs
Officer and Beaconsfield were second and third, respectively, both seeing an increase since last year.
Officer stands at 948 offences recorded, a 10.5 pe rcent increase since last year.
Beaconsfield recorded 312, an increase of 17 per cent.
Lang Lang returns as one of the top spots for crime, placing as fourth-highest with 232 offences recorded.
This is more than double the 108 offences recorded in 2022.
Family violence incidents remain a steady problem in Cardinia, despite a drop of 1 per cent in comparison to last year with a total of 1565 incidents.
Cardinia’s family violence rate has fluctuated marginally since 2020, when it rose by 15.9 per cent over the 2019-20 year.
Unlike recorded offences, Cardinia sits closer at 10 per cent below the state average for family violence.
1181 women and 383 men in Cardinia were affected by family violence in the year ending June 2023.
Those aged 25-34 represented 25 percent of all incidents, while those aged 35-44 represented 30 per cent.
Statewide, Victoria’s crime has increased 7.9 per cent in the year ending 2023 compared to the year ending 2022.
Deputy Commissioner regional operations Neil Paterson said despite the rise, on a longer scale, crime is lower.
“While crime in Victoria has increased from the state’s pandemic affected years, the overall crime rate remains 1.4 per cent below pre-COVID levels,” Mr Paterson said.
“When factoring in population growth, overall crime is at its second lowest levels in the past decade – only beaten by the 12 months to June 2022 which were heavily impacted by COVID restrictions.
“There have also been less victims of crime then before the pandemic, with around 2800 less people impacted by crime than in the 12 months to June 2019.”
Victoria Police is looking to tackle increasing areas of offence in the general field of crime.
“There are a number of areas of concern that Victoria Police will continue to focus on, including youth crime, home burglaries, car thefts, and firearm-related violence,” Mr Paterson said.
“We are making significant strides in each of these areas, as we continue to prioritise our resources according to the latest crime trends, community concerns, and ultimately where we can prevent the most harm.”
