Key Figures: Year ending 30 September 2017

State wide figures

  • The number of criminal incidents recorded by police in the year to 30 September 2017 was 391,153. This is down 4.8% from 411,056 incidents recorded in the same period last year.
  • The number of offences recorded by police in the year to 30 September 2017 was 517,118. This is down 4.9% from 543,986 offences recorded in the same period last year.
  • Offender incidents increased to 176,987, up 4.0% from 170,117 in the year to September 2016.
  • Victim reports decreased in the year to 30 September 2017 by 7.3% to 308,680 victim reports.
  • Family incidents decreased in the year to 30 September 2017, down 4.4% from 78,814 to 75,374.

 

Crime category trends

From October 2015 to September 2017, the major offence categories that showed significant upward trends were:

Criminal Incidents Recorded Offences
  • Sexual offences (up 18.0% from 6,852 to 8,084)
  • Sexual offences (up 17.9% from 12,351 to 14,564)
  • Robbery (up 12.6% from 2,293 to 2,581)
  • Dangerous and negligent acts endangering people (up 7.8% from 5,539 to 5,972)
  • Dangerous and negligent acts endangering people (up 13.7% from 3,859 to 4,388)
  
  • Deception (up 8.5% from 19,720 to 21,403)
  

 

From October 2015 to September 2017, the following offence subdivisions showed a significant downward trend: 

Criminal Incidents Recorded Offences
  • Arson (down 24.6% from 3,910 to 2,948)
  • Stalking, harassment and threatening behaviour (down 7.0% from 12,679 to 11,788)
  • Property damage (down 4.1% from 37,570 to 36,018)
  • Arson (down 30.3% from 4,487 to 3,127)
  • Burglary/Break and enter (down 9.7% from 51,683 to 46,661)
  • Property damage (down 5.1% from 43,882 to 41,636)
  • Theft (down 11.5% from 154,447 to 136,752)
  • Burglary/Break and enter (down 9.6% from 54,236 to 49,042)
  • Justice procedures (down 11.9% from 8,763 to 7,717)
  • Theft (down 8.6% from 187,149 to 171,059)
 
  • Drug dealing and trafficking (down 14.7% from 4,991 to 4,257)
 
  • Disorderly and offensive conduct (down 1.0% from 16,581 to 16,411)
 
  • Justice procedures (down 8.4% from 13,696 to12,544)

Local Government Area level figures

The five Local Government Areas with the highest incident rates were:

Criminal Incidents

  1. Melbourne (18,334.2 criminal incidents per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 8.6%)
  2. Latrobe (12,945.6 criminal incidents per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 5.2%)
  3. Yarra (11,284.0 criminal incidents per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 7.5%)
  4. Mildura (9,277.2 criminal incidents per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 1.5%)
  5. Greater Shepparton (9,242.9 criminal incidents per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 4.3%)

Recorded Offences

  1. Melbourne (24,968.6 offences per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 8.8%)
  2. Latrobe (18,566.8 offences per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 2.5%)
  3. Yarra (13,869.6 offences per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 11.1%)
  4. Greater Shepparton (12,474.6 offences per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 2.6%)
  5. Horsham (12,433.1 offences per 100,000 estimated resident population, down 13.3%)

 

For explanatory information and definitions for the latest release, see the explanatory notes (External link) and glossary (External link)