By Kara Irving
ASSAULTS and family violence are on the rise in Brimbank, according to the latest Victoria Police crime statistics.
But greater education and willingness to report to police can be seen as a factor in the increase, according to Sunshine Police Senior Sergeant Fred Grove.
The Victoria Police 2010/11 annual crime statistics revealed assaults have increased by 33 per cent, rising from 1073 to 1433 incidents since June 2009.
A growing number of family violence incidents have also been reported, with 18 per cent of assaults accounting for domestic cases.
Between June 2009/10 and June 10/11 police response to family violence cases have increased from 409 to 665 cases.
Sen Sgt Grove said the family violence unit at Keilor Downs’ police station was working hard to reduce the number of cases in the area.
“The reason behind an increase in the number of domestic violence crimes correlates with the education people are receiving about the issue and their willingness to report family violence,” he said.
Theft of motor vehicles has also increased in Brimbank by almost 30 per cent, climbing from 886 to 1141 with theft from motor vehicles increasing by 18 per cent.
“Most of these crimes are occurring in secluded streets or railway car parks and there appears to be a higher number of incidents in soft target areas,” he said.
“Items such as shopping bags, mobile phones, iPods and GPS are the most stolen items from vehicles. People need to be wary of the visibility of these items to ensure they aren’t in full view.”
Local police initiatives across Brimbank have also been in operation to ensure theft from and of motor vehicles are reduced, including the operation of a mobile camera van which patrols high level crime spots.
The van has been effective in monitoring crime for burglaries and armed robberies within Keilor Downs.
The statistics also revealed a turnaround in the number of drug offences, which has decreased by six per cent since 2009/10.
“We now have a dedicated drug task force at our Keilor Downs office and one would expect to see the work that they perform in the area to be effective,” he said.
“Anecdotally Brimbank has been notable for drug use in the past and from our experiences we are now targeting higher level drug offenders, such as traffickers, to help eliminate the practice from the area”.
Overall crime in Brimbank has climbed by 10 per cent since last year.
“The combination of police operations and an increased police presence from the operations response unit in the city has really helped reduce the number of crimes across Brimbank,” he said.
Brimbank City Council said they were working closely with police to create a safer city.
