By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Casey’s crime rate has fallen for the second consecutive official report, reversing a six-year upward trend.
Police Minister Lisa Neville said Victorians could share a “small level of reassurance” with a 9.9 per cent statewide drop recorded in the latest Crime Statistics Agency report on 15 March.
She stressed there were still too many victims of serious “high-harm” crime suffering trauma and pain.
In Casey, there were significantly less burglaries (34 per cent down), aggravated burglaries (38 per cent), thefts (18 per cent) and robberies (7 per cent) during 2017.
Family violence serious assaults fell by 20.5 per cent – their lowest level since 2009.
There was a slight per-capita rise in assaults (0.7 per cent)
Overall the crime rate in Casey fell by 13.6 per cent on a per capita basis – greater than the record-breaking statewide drop.
But the raw numbers in the region are still alarming.
There were 1834 reported burglaries and break-ins, more than 6900 thefts and 2315 assaults for the year in Casey.
That’s about five burgs, 19 thefts and six assaults a day.
Robberies totalled 162 – more than three a week.
Cranbourne MP Jude Perera said the statistics were “encouraging” with “still more work to be done”.
Over the next year, the government plans to roll out 835 extra police, new equipment, a new police intelligence system, more forensic resources and tougher sentencing and bail laws for young offenders.
“Our local police members in Casey are working hard to target issues including burglaries and theft, which we can see reflected in these latest statistics.
“The Labor Government is giving police the resources they need to detect and disrupt crime.”
Crime increased every year under the previous Liberal government, Mr Perera said.
“We are now seeing this trend turn around.”
Opposition police spokesman Edward O’Donohue pointed to an overall larger crime rate since Premier Daniel Andrews took office in late 2014.
In that time, home invasions in Casey rose by 125.6 per cent.
Casey’s crime rate generally was up by 20.6 per cent, Mr O’Donohue noted.
“Under Daniel Andrews, the crimes that keep Victorians awake at night have increased alarmingly, particularly in growth areas such as Casey.”
He reiterated the Coalition’s pledge to build a 24/7 police station at the growth suburb of Clyde – where crime had gone up by 105.6 per cent since 2014.
