Inner-west crime rates have dropped substantially over the past year, driven by falls in property offences such as theft.
Crime Statistics Agency figures released last Thursday show a 12 per cent decline in crime in Maribyrnong and a six per cent decline in Hobsons Bay for the 12 months to March 31.
The number of recorded offences tumbled from 9187 to 8086 in Maribyrnong and from 6424 to 6015 in Hobsons Bay.
Victoria Police Divisional Commander Therese Fitzgerald said the results demonstrated the strong focus on high volume crimes such as burglary and theft, particularly at hotspots such as around train stations.
She expects greater inroads to be made under a multi-agency approach designed to keep young people in school and away from trouble.
“We are starting to see the benefits of it, targeting youth education and making sure they are going to school or there are suitable employment pathways,” she said.
Superintendent Fitzgerald said there was still work to be done around areas such as assaults, which rose from 551 to 571.
Crimes against the person also rose in Hobsons Bay, from 894 to 949, including sexual offences which increased from 111 to 139.
Property and deception offences dropped from 4075 to 3768, including burglaries down from 586 to 479 and theft from 2461 to 2284.
Hobsons Bay Acting Inspector Brett Kahan said police were working hard to curb crime.
“Hobsons Bay residents should feel satisfied that there are more police on the roads in their area than ever before, with a focus on ensuring maximum police presence during planned events that draw large crowds,” he said.
“We have a clear focus on preventing high-harm crime by targeting high-risk offenders.
“Whilst there has been a small increase in sex offences, much of this can be attributed to a greater confidence in victims reporting such crimes to police.”
There were 380,150 criminal incidents recorded by Victoria Police across the state, down 8.8 per cent compared to the same period last year.
