By Violet Li
The state’s latest crime statistics have seen a striking surge in recorded burglaries and thefts in Casey in the past 12 months to June this year.
Residential aggravated burglaries have soared by almost 90 per cent to 446 over the past year and exceeded the pre-Covid level in 2019 by 103 per cent.
Non-aggravated residential burglaries have risen by 25 per cent to 744.
Motor vehicle theft has increased by 83 per cent to 1033 since last year.
The number of stealing from a motor vehicle is 30 per cent above the 2022 level to 2452.
Other thefts have increased by 52 per cent to 1987 from 2022.
Casey Local Area Commander Inspector Stuart Richards said overall crime in Casey was at its second lowest levels since 2014 factoring in population growth.
“The overall number of homes being broken into across Casey increased year-on-year, however, this number remains comparatively low when compared to earlier in the decade,” he said.
“For example, in 2017 there were almost 700 more Casey homes broken into than current levels.
“While this is positive, aggravated home burglaries are an area of focus for local police.”
Mr Richards said aggravated home burglaries often feature youth offenders who try to get in and out without being detected.
“Our intelligence indicates 95 per cent of these incidents are non-confrontational,” he said.
“Theft from motor vehicle in Casey also remains well below pre-pandemic levels, with 489 less offences than pre-COVID.”
Mr Richards reminded residents to lock their door and not leave garage doors open while unattended.
“Often, car keys are left near points of entry, making them easy for offenders to locate, which are subsequently used to steal cars,” he said.
“Valuable items should not be left in vehicles to deter opportunistic thieves.”
In Victoria, of all offence categories, property and deception offences have the largest increase in the last 12 months, up 15.6% to 272,790.
Overall burglary and break and enter offences, which includes both residential and commercial properties increased by 26 per cent to 37,188 from 2022.
There were 24,689 homes burglaries across Victoria in the 12 months to June – 4,801 more than the year before. Of the 24,689, 3007 were attempts only.
Thefts from a retail store grew by 38 per cent from 2022.
While car theft increased by 27.6 per cent year-on-year, this remained stable with pre-Covid levels.
According to Victoria Police, the rise in home burglaries has been driven by mainly youth offenders targeting unlocked homes, sneaking in while occupants are home, and stealing cars from the property.
In Casey, youths aged 10 to 17 committed 1209 alleged offences, up 40 per cent from last year.
Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Neil Paterson said while crime in Victoria had increased from the state’s pandemic affected years, the overall crime rate remained 1.4 per cent below pre-Covid levels.
“While this is positive, 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,” he 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.
Mr Paterson said the police were reducing the prevalence of linked burglaries and car thefts.
“Since Operation Trinity commenced in March, there has been over 1600 arrests and a 40 per cent decrease in this type of offending,” he said.
“This operation will continue every evening until dawn, targeting those seeking to sneak into homes while people are home.
“We also continue to apply extreme pressure to our most serious and violent youth offenders under Operation Alliance.”
In Casey, the number of criminal incidents increased by 16.5 per cent since last year.
The number of recorded offences went up 13.8 percent in the same period.
Alleged offender incidents increased by 17.1 per cent to 7558. The number of offenders across all age groups increased with over 45 years jumping the biggest leap by 53 per cent to 1235.
The number of victim reports was up 25.8 per cent to 13,284.
Total family incidents increased by 8.4 per cent with 5422 incidents recorded across Casey.
Cranbourne (nine per cent), Narre Warren (20 per cent), Berwick (seven per cent), Hampton Park (14 per cent), and Clyde North (28 per cent) have been noted with the greatest rises in offences recorded from last year.
