The latest crime statistics for Victoria have been released, with the number of criminal incidents recorded by Victoria Police in the year to 30 June 2023 coming in at 371,691, up 9.3% from 340,219 incidents recorded in the same period last year.
All offence categories increased in the last 12 months, other than those directly related to the Covid regulations introduced during the pandemic. Property and deception offences had the largest increase in the last 12 months, up by 36,767 or 15.6% to 272,790.
Increases in “acquisitive offence types”, particularly theft offences, are a major contributor to the upward trends observed in recorded crime measures in the last 12 months. There has historically been a correlation between an increase in such types of crime and rising interest rates and cost of living pressures, and that seems to be the case currently. This statistic reminded us of a recent survey through Finder, in which a survey (albeit about petty crime) of 1,063 respondents revealed more than 1 in 10 (12%) Australians – equivalent to 2.4 million people – confessed to stealing in the last 12 months as they reached financial breaking point. The research found 5% of Australians have stolen items at the supermarket self-checkout, while slightly fewer (4%) have cheated at the self-serve checkouts by deliberately lying about what they have scanned, and that 4% of Aussies have driven away from the bowser without paying for fuel in the past year, while 2% had left a cafe or restaurant without paying.
This increase in these types of crime is a relevant and important takeaway from both a residential, commercial and retail security perspective. Clearly burglaries and thefts from homes and cars is on the rise and this is a timely reminder to lock up belongings and ensure your home security and surveillance is in good shape. For businesses about to embark on the busy Christmas retail period, consideration and implementation of tactics to reduce stock loss will be beneficial initiatives in this current climate.
Interested to find out the latest crime data for your local area? Head to the Crime Statistics Victoria website at https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/crime-statistics/latest-crime-data-by-area
If you would like to chat to a professional to make sure the security at your home or business is optimal, contact Excell Security today.
