By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
THE City of Casey has the highest number of reported family violence incidents of any Local Government Area (LGA) in the state, according to the latest Crime Statistics Agency report released last Thursday.
From April 2014 to March 2015, there were 3759 family incidents reported in Casey compared to 3636 in the same period a year earlier – the most of any LGA, followed by Greater Geelong with 2975.
Across Victoria, there was an 8.2 per cent rise in recorded family related incidents, with 69,442 cases reported in the state.
Meanwhile, the total number of recorded offences in Casey rose by almost 12.9 per cent in the past year, with 18,122 incidents reported in Casey compared to 16,056 in the same period a year earlier.
But Casey police Acting Local Area Commander Inspector John Felton said part of the rise could be attributed to more active policing, particularly when it came to family violence incidents.
“In context, some of it is police generated, for instance our police response to family violence and breaching orders, when a breach is detected, is up about 70 per cent,” he said.
“We’ve changed the way we do family violence… there’s no place in our community for family violence, but reporting has to be seen as a positive because it’s no longer being hidden.
“The fact is we’ve got a dedicated family violence unit in Casey targeting recidivist offenders and that’s one of the drivers in the increase in reported breaches.”
Insp Felton also expressed concern at a roughly 18 per cent increase in thefts across Casey, citing theft from cars as a particular bug-bear for local police.
“We’re up 18 per cent or thereabout for thefts… the key drivers are number plate theft and theft from motor vehicles,” he said.
“It’s extremely disappointing. Obviously, a number of those vehicles have been unlocked and the other thing is a lot of people are leaving valuables in cars.
“It’s a very opportunistic crime.”
The Crime Statistics Agency was introduced this year, and has taken over the role that was previously handled by Victoria Police following calls for an independent body to be set up to stop the potential misuse of data by police and governments.
