Increases in property damage, a 60 per cent jump in vehicle theft and a significant rise in thefts from cars and robbery, while not cause for alarm in isolation, do point to the fact that authorities are still fighting significant battles against criminals across the city.

So it was important that Chief Commissioner Simon Overland, during a visit to the city on Friday, took strong steps to explain what action would be taken.

While we are somewhat unconvinced that issuing a "please explain" to Ballarat's top cops is likely to provide tangible positive outcomes, at the very least it conveys a strong message that Mr Overland does not, and will not, accept that crime rates in regional cities should ever be on the increase.

The release of the statistics comes as the debate over whether Victoria Police is staffed appropriately and whether the resources it has are directed into the most productive and appropriate areas continues.

Mr Overland, as expected, wants as many resources as possible. The State Government might suggest he use the ones he has a little smarter. For its part, the police association believes we are 98 police short. A figure that was dismissed by the chief commissioner.

It's an argument people in Ballarat care little for - we just want better and more effective policing.

On this front, one positive angle produced in the statistics was the reduction of public order offences by more than 10 per cent and a slight reduction in assaults.

Alcohol-fuelled violence remains a priority for our community. Mr Overland continually stressed on Friday that it also remained a major focus for police during the next 12 months.

Community-led programs like The Courier's "Had Enough?" campaign have put the spotlight firmly on this worrying issue. This has already resulted in a greater focus from authorities and the early results expressed in the statistics released last week are promising.

We agree with Mr Overland's statement that generally Ballarat is a safe place.

The biggest challenge ahead for authorities is to make sure that Ballarat residents actually feel safe.

Let's hope the government and police can reach some common ground and help our community to reach this goal.