CRIME in Wyndham is finally starting to slow down, and in some cases even reverse, with police recording less than 100 burglaries last month for the first time in memory.
Victoria Police released their annual crime statistics last week, with robberies and assaults excluding family violence falling by 27.4 per cent and 1.9 per cent respectively.
Total crime rose by 13.7 per cent, with 12,853 incidents reported, the smallest rise of the last four years.
Drug offences continued to rise with 561 offences seeing a rise of 33.9 per cent from the previous year.
Theft from motor vehicles increased by 25.9 per cent to 1989 incidents recorded.
Wyndham Police Inspector Damien Christensen told Star over the last month less than 100 burglaries had been reported.
“This is one of the first times we have had less than 100 burglaries in Wyndham,” Inspector Christensen said.
“I spoke to Detective Senior Sergeant John Johnston from the Wyndham Crime Investigation Unit and he can’t recall the last time the number was that low.”
Inspector Christensen said assaults had increased by 11.4 per cent to 1073, but those figures were also affected by incidents at Port Phillip Prison.
“There has been an increase in the number of assaults at the prison and we wear those as part of our figures,” he said.
“The prison had something like 450 incidents that we had to be notified of and whilst we can’t actively patrol the prison we can talk with them and see how we can help them.”
Inspector Chirstensen said a safety committee had recently been set up to help lower the number of assaults at the prison, along with another committee to lower crime levels around Werribee Plaza.
Inspector Christensen, who took over the top job in August last year, has obviously impressed the senior people at Victoria Police, as he was promoted from Acting Inspector to Inspector last Tuesday.
“It feels like we are finally turning a big corner in Wyndham,” he said.
“You’ve won me for the next couple of years anyway.”
