Theft from motor vehicles on the rise in Greater Shepparton

Theft from motor vehicles also came in at number two for total offences recorded in Greater Shepparton, an increase of 173.

Property and deception offences, which includes theft of and from motor vehicles, recorded the highest number of criminal incidents in Greater Shepparton for the year, which included 1745 thefts and 797 burglaries or break and enters.

The data has renewed calls by local police to ensure residents keep their vehicles locked at all times and not leave any valuable items inside.

“Theft from motor vehicles continues to drive a majority of our crime and in most cases the offence involved an unlocked vehicle or unsecured items within a vehicle,” Local Area Commander Inspector Troy Hargadon said.

“Despite the large volume of community messaging and emphasis on securing personal property and items, we still continue to see an increase in this particular offending.’”

The data also showed the total number of criminal incidents in Greater Shepparton increased by 2.7 per cent for the year, from 6230 to 6398.

Of the 6398 incidents, 40.2 per cent saw charges laid, 15.1 per cent saw no charges laid and 44.7 per cent remain unsolved.

While theft from motor vehicles was the most common offence recorded for the year, criminal damage, breaching family violence orders, theft and breaching bail conditions came in shortly after.

“Police continue to work hard to detect and prevent crime across a number of crime themes on a daily basis,” Insp Hargadon said.

“This work can contribute to increases in various crime categories, but the community can also assist in reducing some of these crime categories through some preventative measures.”

CSA Chief Statistician Fiona Dowsley said the number of family incidents recorded by Victoria Police across the state for the past 12 months was the highest on record, with a total of 85 923 incidents.

Despite this, Greater Shepparton recorded a decrease of 3.7 per cent in family incidents with a total of 1591.

Of these incidents, 1231 involved a female victim with both men and women aged between 25 and 44 most commonly affected.

“Family violence continues to increase . . . it is good people are reporting it to continue to make sure women and children are safe in their own homes,” Police Minister Lisa Neville said.

Ms Neville also acknowledged the work of the Police Assistance Line over the past 12 months which received over 634 000 phone calls, with 22 per cent of all offences in Victoria now being reported through the public line.

“Police have done an extraordinary job in this 12 month period processing more people than they have ever done in Victoria Police history,” she said.