By ALESHA CAPONE
BRIMBANK’S top cop has declared he is happy with the offence reductions recorded in several key areas of the area’s latest crime figures.
Inspector Chris Gilbert has labelled the results “just fabulous” for his team after Victoria Police last week released data comparing crimes committed in 2013 with the previous 12 months.
In Brimbank, the total crime rate has risen by 4.5 per cent to more than 19,300 crimes.
Vehicle theft has fallen 15 per cent to over 1000 incidents and theft from vehicles has dropped 14 per cent to just over 2340 crimes.
Burglaries, apart from residential offences, have also dropped 15 per cent to below 520 offences.
Property damage has lessened by 11 per cent and residential burglaries by 6 per cent, both reaching just over 1550 crimes.
Assault (excluding domestic violence) has dropped almost three per cent to more than 940 offences.
In contrast, family violence assaults have grown three per cent to more than 1860 felonies.
Crime against the person rose by seven per cent to over 2510 offences and drug offences by 11 per cent to 1275 crimes.
Robberies have risen 21 per cent to more than 310 offences and ‘other crime’ by 38 per cent, to 3075 offences.
Insp Gilbert said ‘other crimes’ included justice procedures such as people breaching their sentences.
“We are very, very happy with the reductions in what we call the big-ticket crime items,” he said.
Insp Gilbert credited the good results to units of officers focusing on specific items such as theft from vehicles and increased police patrols in Sunshine’s CBD.
He said police have also refined some of their operating procedures like focusing on repeat offenders.
“We have, from time-to-time, known there are particular offenders who are responsible for a large amount of crimes,” he said.
Insp Gilbert said he believed the Brimbank robbery statistics would potentially fall even more during the next data release.
“I believe they will be lower in the next quarter because we know the longer-term trends,” he said.
