Narre Warren was ranked second in the City of Casey in criminal incidents and recorded offences, as an overnight ram raid left local shoppers and businesses bewildered.
Police are currently investigating after a ram raid at a business on Victor Crescent saw its glass door frames smashed, and a register stolen between Thursday, 26 June and Friday, 27 June.
Local shoppers and neighbouring businesses have remarked that the incident was “unusual”, considering the nature of the shop that was targeted.
One worker said that they “wouldn’t say it’s a normal occurrence of ram raids here”.
“There are some, I would say, unpleasant people now and again, but it’s never really been a major concern.
“I definitely didn’t think it would happen to that kind of shop, I would have thought they would have gone for something more high-end,” they said.
According to the Crime Stats Agency, Narre Warren tacked on 2715 criminal incidents in the year ending March 2025, an increase from 2203 of 23.2 per cent.
For recorded offences, the suburb had a figure of 3593, a jump of 19 per cent from 2024’s figure of 3019.
Taking a deeper look into the types of crime committed, property and deception offences top the list, with a total of 2168 recorded in the year ending March 2025.
This is a 25 per cent increase from the previous year’s figure, which was at 1733, which has been a consistent number, fluctuating +/- 200 on average, since 2018.
In this category, theft was most common, with 1538 recorded offences, and after a large drop off, is followed by property damage at 229 and burglary and break-ins at 213.
These figures are a jump from the previous year, with theft seeing a 26.8 per cent increase from 2024’s 1212 number; property damage seeing a 31.6 per cent increase from 2024’s 174 incidents; and burglary/breaking and entering seeing a 58.9 per cent increase from the previous year’s number of 134.
Another resident said that despite their proximity to the shop, they knew little of the incident, only having read it online and on police media reports.
“I didn’t really know anything about it, but I’ve seen the [shop’s] front, and I’m just confused; as far as I recall, this is the first time it’s happened in the area, and it’s strange,” they said.
At the broader category level, crimes against the person were the second most prevalent, though still a significantly low number compared to the former category, at 580 recorded offences.
This year’s figure is a small increase from 2024’s number of 559, marking only a 3.7 per cent increase, and is consistent with 2023’s 541 recorded offences.
Justice procedure offences follow after, at 379 recorded offences, a slight jump from the previous year’s 358.
After public order and security offences, recording 247, a jump from 2024’s 159 figure, but consistent throughout the nine-year margin.
The lowest category with recorded numbers is drug offences, marking 214, a small jump from 2024’s 203, and also consistent with the 9-year figure margin.
Police are currently still investigating the incident, with anyone who witnessed the incident, has CCTV, dashcam footage or any other information urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
