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Victorian crime surges: Youth crime up by 7%

3AW Mornings
Article image for Victorian crime surges: Youth crime up by 7%

Youth crime and family violence incidents have skyrocketed in Victoria, new crime statistics released today have revealed.

According to the new figures from the Crime Statistics Agency, offence rates were up by 2 per cent in the year to September 30.

Crime is up across the board, with a surge in all offence divisions except public order and security.

Crime committed by youths aged 10 to 25 is up by a staggering seven per cent.

Male teenagers aged between 15 and 19 are the most represented group of alleged offenders for crimes against a person, which include assaults, sexual offences, homicides, robberies and stalking.

Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said police are alarmed by the spike in youth crime, which has been driven by rising rates of robbery.

“Youth offending is a significant concern for us. Always has been, probably always will be,” he told 3AW’s Tony Jones, filling in for Neil Mitchell.

“One of the areas for concern for us has been in robbery. In this rolling 12 months there’s an extra 689 offences of robbery that have been committed.

“We’re seeing lots of youth aged between 10 and 17 committing street robberies on each other.

“They’re stealing things like AirPods, backpacks, your mobile phones obviously, but even shoes.”

Family violence incidents have also surged by 7.4 per cent, with a massive 83,775 incidents reported.

But police are putting the increase down to higher rates of reporting family-based crime.

“During the year we attended 83,000 incidents of family violence, which is unbelievable when you think of it, but the reality is we’re seeing people who are touched by family violence having the confidence to report to us,” Mr Patton said.

Police say they are going tough on crime, and will continue holding those who commit crime to account.

“If you muck up you’ll get locked up. That’s what I keep pushing out to all of the people who work for me.

“The days of turning up somewhere and dispersing people for offending in public have gone.”

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Image: Thomas Lim / EyeEm

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