The latest crime data, released by the Crime Statistics Agency, covers the period ending in June 2023. During this time frame, there were 506,408 recorded offences and 371,961 criminal incidents, representing an increase of 7.9% in recorded offences and 9.3% in criminal incidents compared to the previous year (from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, in contrast to the same period from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022).
Property and Deception Offences on the Rise After COVID-19
When we analyze the data by offence type, it becomes evident that property and deception offences saw an increase of 36,767 recorded offences and 32,105 criminal incidents. Most of these incidents were attributed to theft and “burglary/break and enter” offences. Those numbers had consistently decreased over the past two years (2021&2022) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now it is on the rise again.
80% of theft-related crimes remain unsolved
Based on Victoria’s most recent crime data, there is cause for concern as there has been a notable uptick in the count of unsolved criminal cases. The figures indicate a substantial surge of 27.523%, signifying many criminal cases that have yet to be resolved. Specifically, out of 370,842 reported criminal incidents between July 2022 and June 2023, a staggering 185,421 cases, nearly 50%, remain unsolved. Notably, theft cases comprise a substantial portion, with 100,735 incidents, and out of a total of 126,369 reported thefts, nearly 80% of theft-related crimes remain unsolved.
24.58% Surge in Alleged Offenders Aged 10-14 Years Old
When analyzing the data on Alleged Offenders, we made a surprising discovery: the number of alleged offenders aged 10-14 has increased by 24.58%. In contrast, considering all age groups, the total number of Alleged Offenders from July 2022 to June 2023 has only risen by 1.85%. Further dissecting the data by gender, we observed a 41% increase among female alleged offenders aged 10-14 and a 16.4% increase among males in the same age group. It raises a significant question: what factors contribute to these trends following two years of lockdown?
| Year | Total (10-14 years) | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2263 (-) | 1585 (-) | 678 (-) |
| 2015 | 2077 (-8.22%) | 1426 (-10.03%) | 651 (-3.98%) |
| 2016 | 2059 (-0.87%) | 1398 (-1.96%) | 661 (1.54%) |
| 2017 | 2066 (0.34%) | 1351 (-3.36%) | 715 (8.17%) |
| 2018 | 2184 (5.71%) | 1508 (11.62%) | 676 (-5.45%) |
| 2019 | 2014 (-7.78%) | 1319 (-12.53%) | 694 (2.66%) |
| 2020 | 1972 (-2.09%) | 1328 (0.68%) | 644 (-7.20%) |
| 2021 | 1712 (-13.18%) | 1152 (-13.25%) | 560 (-13.04%) |
| 2022 | 2099 (22.61%) | 1396 (21.18%) | 702 (25.36%) |
| 2023 | 2615 (24.58%) | 1625 (16.40%) | 990 (41.03%) |
Suburbs with the Highest Recorded Offences
According to the most recent crime data, Melbourne, Lardner, Dandenong, Frankston, and Shepparton have the highest recorded offences. Notably, the recorded offences in Melbourne CBD are nearly five times higher than the tenth-highest recorded offences in St Kilda.
| Suburb | Recorded Offences |
|---|---|
| Melbourne | 20,406 |
| Lardner | 8,872 |
| Dandenong | 7,498 |
| Frankston | 7,065 |
| Shepparton | 6,622 |
| Mildura | 6,430 |
| Werribee | 5,178 |
| Reservoir | 4,686 |
| Preston | 4,546 |
| St Kilda | 4,425 |