Despite a drop in crime, Greater Shepparton remains in the top five local government areas for the highest recorded offence rates in Victoria.
Greater Shepparton ranked fifth in the state with 12,267 offences per 100,000 people for the 12 months to September 30, 2022 — down 8.5 per cent.
Figures from the Crime Statistics Agency show there were 1637 breaches of a family violence order, 697 breaches of bail and 622 criminal damage offences in Greater Shepparton.
Stealing from a motor vehicle (505), drug possession (444) and residential burglaries (307) were other top offences.
Total family violence incidents were up 2.7 per cent on last year, with 1723 family violence incidents compared to 1677 in 2021.
These included 324 serious assaults, 147 common assaults and 29 stalking offences related to family violence.
Across Victoria, there were 474,446 criminal offences recorded, a 4.3 per cent decrease from the same period in 2021 and the lowest number since 2014.
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Rick Nugent said it was pleasing to see total crime in the state down on previous years.
“While we anticipate overall crime will increase gradually as we move further away from the pandemic, Victoria Police will be doing everything we can to keep crime as low as possible,” he said.
“A significant degree of proactive enforcement occurs each and every day to keep the community safe and prevent offending before it occurs.
“Ensuring members of the community feel safe in their homes is critical for Victoria Police, and working alongside our partners, we will continue to have a strong focus on reducing the harm caused by family violence.”