Family violence up

FAMILY violence is still a prevalent issue in the Casey community, with the latest release of crime statistics revealing a 12 per cent increase.
Victoria Police published its latest crime statistics on Friday, which compares the 12 months to September 2012 with the 12 months to September 2011.
Total crime was down by 2.2 per cent, but family violence again saw a rise.
Casey Inspector Wayne Viney said about one quarter of all reported crime was connected to family violence.
“This includes crimes such as assault, abduction, property damage, breaching intervention orders and so on,” he said.
“Family violence continues to have a huge impact on the level of crime reported within Casey.
“The community needs to take a stand against family violence to ensure that it is not accepted or condoned in any way within the community.
“Violence against women is a grave problem.”
Insp Viney said he was a proud White Ribbon Ambassador in Victoria and he encouraged everyone to take a stand against family violence.
“I particularly challenge all men to stand up and say no to violence against women and children,” he said.
“Every day, you can safely challenge the behaviour of other men, talk to your mates about the issue and lead by example.”
Property crime continues to be the most prolific type of offending within Casey, however, Insp Viney said they had achieved some great results in several crime categories this quarter.
“These include theft of motor vehicles, down by 18 per cent, theft from motor vehicles, down by 12 per cent and property damage offences, down by two per cent.
Insp Viney said residential burglary had continued to increase.
“Of significant concern is the number of burglaries being committed on homes under construction,” he said.
“The Casey corridor continues to experience significant growth and there are a large number of buildings under construction at any one time.
“We are committing significant resources in an effort to identify and prosecute offenders however, if members of the public are aware of people selling off cheap construction items or new kitchens for example, please ring police to assist us in identifying possible suspects.”
Drug offences saw a huge increase of more than 60 per cent.
Anyone with information regarding any crime is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.