Greater Dandenong’s official crime rate has soared by 15 per cent in the past year, with Victoria Police stating it will take time to turn around the trend.
The rise was in line with a statewide surge in which police claim they made a record number of arrests – equivalent to 208 a day.
“There is no doubt overall crime is higher than both the community and police would like,” said Acting Deputy Commissioner David Clayton.
Arsons, burglaries, car thefts, retail thefts, thefts from motor vehicles, drug trafficking, sexual offences and firearm offences soared in Greater Dandenong, according to the latest Crime Statistics Agency data released on 19 June.
Family-violence serious assaults and family-violence intervention order breaches were both up nearly 50 per cent.
Most breaches involved offenders using phones and social media to target victims, police say.
The biggest surges in recorded offences occurred in Dandenong (up 30.6 per cent), Dandneong North (17.9 per cent) and Keysborough (8.9 per cent).
Springvale (up 1 per cent) and Noble Park (down 6 per cent) defied the trend.
The most prolific crime was stealing from vehicles – which includes number plates (up 24 per cent) with police advising car-owners to install anti-theft number-plate screws, lock vehicles, remove valuables and park off the street.
‘Other thefts’ including petrol drive-offs, phones and cash (up 16 per cent), and retail thefts (up 37 per cent) were also among the most common offences.
Organised-crime groups of shop stealers were also working together to steal goods and on-sell them for profit, with record levels of alcohol theft, police say.
The rise of property offences is fueled by cost-of-living pressures, Victoria Police says.
Car theft was up 36 per cent, with stolen cars involved in 760 crashes.
Six were killed in those collisions, of which three were innocent victims.
One in five cars were stolen with the owner retaining their keys.
Holdens, Toyotas and Subarus with push-start technology were among the most stolen using electronic devices that can program or mimic car keys.
Police advise owners to install an on-board diagnostic port lock to prevent these thefts.
Home burglaries were up 43 per cent and non-residential burglaries by 50 per cent but home aggravated burglaries were down 24 per cent, which defies a statewide surge.
Police report seizing 44 illegal blades, machetes and zombie knives a day. Offences for controlled and prohibited weapons such as knives, knuckle dusters, batons and tasers across Victoria were up 13 per cent.
In Greater Dandenong, there was a rise of 2 per cent. However, firearm offences were up 14 per cent.
Meanwhile, arsons nearly doubled in the past year.
