Liam McNally
Recorded family violence order breaches and recorded family incidents are down in Melton however police say we should be “cautious” about statistics.
Latest data from the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency showed a four per cent drop in family incidents in Melton from 2931 incidents to 2815 incidents. This translates to 1362 incidents per 100,000 people.
This is the lowest rate in the data on the CSA’s website which is from 2019 onwards and the first time the Melton rate has been lower than the state average in that period.
Family violence order breaches was still the most common offence, but dropped by 243 to 1,669 offences.
Moorabool tells a different story with family incidents rising 11.5 per cent on the previous 12 months, with 554 incidents in the year to September.
Family violence order breaches was also the most common offence in Moorabool, and rose to the second highest in a decade. However the actual number of offences is much lower than Melton at 319.
A Victoria Police spokesperson said family violence will always be a top priority for police, however they are always cautious when looking at these statistics.
“We know this type of offending happens behind closed doors and can often go unreported,” they said.
“No one should ever have to feel unsafe in their own home – which is why our detectives are out every day, knocking on doors and ensuring known offenders are complying with their orders.
“We understand how much courage it takes for victims of family violence to come forward.”
The broader crime statistics show total offences in Moorabool rose 20.9 per cent to 2445 in the year to September and Melton rose 1.8 per cent to 12,348 offences.
The other most common offences were stealing from a motor vehicle and criminal damage in Moorabool and other theft and stealing from a motor vehicle in Melton.
Police said when factoring in population growth, overall crime in Melton is at its lowest level since 2014, while overall crime across Moorabool is stable with pre-pandemic levels.
“Police are focused on preventing opportunistic offending including home burglaries and car break ins,” they said.
