Property crimes topped the books for the year to April with general theft, car theft, retail theft and theft from a car the five fastest-growing crimes across the state.

Police Minister Anthony Carbines said the quarterly crime statistics were “unacceptable”, but stressed they were not a result of a greater number of people committing crimes.

“The release of today’s quarterly crime statistics are, again, are unacceptable outcomes, unacceptable results,” he said.

“Our unique offender rate remains stable, what that’s telling us is it’s many of the same people committing additional offences that are driving our crime rate.

“It’s the repeat offenders who continue to drive our crime rates and it’s the repeat offenders that we need to get off our streets and put behind bars.”

Children driving crime rate

Youth crime was a key driver of the quarterly crime statistics, with a child aged between 10 and 17 now committing an offence every 20 minutes.

Those figures accounted for an almost 18 per cent spike in youth crime – the highest level since electronic records started in 1993. 

Youth crime made up for 13 per cent of all offences, but they were the most likely offenders in crimes including robberies, home invasions and thefts.

Victoria Police says it has made 3300 arrests of Victoria’s worst youth offenders over the past year as part of operations targeting home burglaries, car thefts and youth gangs.

Police urge motorists to modify cars as theft rates soar

Despite the rollout of Operation Trinity in March 2023, motor vehicle theft in Victoria is at its highest levels since 2002 after a 47.1 per cent rise year-on-year.

In more than one in five cases, car owners reported their vehicles being stolen without their keys being taken.

Electronic devices capable of programming or mimicking keys are increasingly being used to steal cars, police said.

Holdens, Toyotas, and Subarus with push-start technology are the most targeted cars where electronic programming devices are used.

As a result, police are urging owners to look at preventative measures to help deter thieves, including an on-board diagnostic port lock which prevents an offender connecting a reprogramming device to your vehicle.

Stolen cars were involved in more than 760 crashes across the state, causing six fatalities.

Family violence reaches record highs

A 10.7 per cent increase in family violence incidents saw DV instances in Victoria hit a record high.

Victoria Police are now responding to a DV incident every five minutes.

Breaches of family violence orders spiked about 18 per cent, with most breaches committed by offenders using mobile phones and social media to target victims. 

Last year, Victoria Police arrested 8435 family violence offenders 15,557 times.

Opposition Leader Brad Battin said the quarterly crime statistics were “breaking records we don’t want to see broken”.

“The figures we’re seeing today are scary,” Battin said.

“We are seeing aggravated burglaries increase 30 per cent year on year. That is a figure that sends shivers down my spine.”

Government to introduce further bail reforms

The second stage of the state’s sweeping bail reforms is expected to come into effect after the parliament’s winter break ends in late July.

Carbines said it would target “high harm” crimes such as aggravated burglary, carjackings and home invasions.

“It’ll be extremely difficult to get bail, extremely difficult,” he said.

Retail crime will also be addressed in the new set of legislation, Carbines said.

It comes after parliament passed laws to make it more difficult for offenders to obtain bail.

“Those tougher bail laws and the statistics I’m giving you aren’t reflected in the current quarter because there’s only one or two days where they applied,” Carbines said.

Offenders who were remanded in custody increased by 100 per cent in youths and 31 per cent in adults since the laws were introduced, Carbines said.

“That’s a demonstration that our new tough bail laws are working,” he said.

Police are currently seizing an average of 44 prohibited weapons including machetes every day, after the weapons were banned from sale last month.