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RECORDED CRIME OFFENCES

The data in the chapter are sourced directly from Victoria Police. The counts provided below relate to recorded offences, not offenders. Therefore, multiple offences committed by the same perpetrator are counted as separate recorded offences. Also, offences are recorded against the Local Government Area (LGA) in which they were committed rather than the offender's place of usual residence. Recorded crime consists of those offences recorded on Victoria Police's Law Enforcement Assistance Program database during the reporting period, regardless of when the offence occurred or when it was reported to police. Figures must be used with caution as not all offences might be reported to the police.

Victoria recorded 380,249 crime offences during the 2008-09 financial year, an increase of 887 (0.2%) from the previous financial year. The majority (75.0%) of offences recorded in 2008-09 occurred against property.

Data were provided by Victoria Police as aggregates at LGA level. It was not possible to derive exact data for Melbourne and Gippsland Statistical Divisions (SDs) as Yarra Ranges LGA is split across these two SDs. In this chapter, Yarra Ranges LGA as a whole was included with the other LGAs in Melbourne SD to form a region referred to as Melbourne Metropolitan Area (MMA). Consequently, Gippsland SD as presented here excludes Yarra Ranges (S) - Pt B Statistical Local Area (SLA).

Recorded crime offence rates (per 100,000 population) were calculated using estimated resident population as at 30 June 2008 published in Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2007-08 (cat. no. 3218.0). Wimmera SD recorded the highest rate of 8,870 per 100,000 population. Mallee (7,791) and Central Highlands (7,672) SDs also recorded relatively high rates. The lowest rates were recorded in Ovens-Murray (5,525), Loddon (5,541) and Western District (5,855) SDs.

Recorded crime offences, By Statistical Division - 2008-09