Population rise brings more crime

CASEY cops are stretching the thin blue line to the max throughout the region.
Local crime scene officers attended a record 3640 crime scenes from March 2007 to February 2008, resulting in a 29.5 per cent increase on the 2809 crimes they attended the previous year.
Victoria Police released the crime statistics last week.
Burglaries, thefts and criminal damage incidents recorded in Casey and Cardinia have increased by almost 30 per cent in the past year.
Leading Senior Constable Jeremy Beaumont from the Casey-Cardinia crime desk said the rising population had contributed to more crimes being recorded than in previous years.
“Our crime desk is one of the biggest ones, we cover a large area – that’s the main reason,” he said.
Crime scene officers across the state attended more than 56,500 crime scenes, which is an increase of 3156 when compared to the previous 12 months.
Commander Terry Purton said the increase in results could be credited to the introduction of crime desks, implemented in Victoria in 2003.
There are 25 crime desks throughout Victoria.
“Crime scene officers are able to attend the scene, gather forensic evidence, speak to neighbours and discuss ways to improve home security,” Mr Purton said.
“Evidence and information is then forwarded on to the relevant detective to conduct follow-up investigations, make the arrests, conduct interviews and present offenders before the court.”
More than 400 police members have completed the required four-week crime scene officer training course.
“The benefits of having crime scene officers is that they are truly a one-stop shop and as a result, divisional vans are freed up to be more proactive in the regions as they no longer need to attend these high volume crimes,” Mr Purton said.