The Hoddle Grid is the scene of an assault every five hours, a sex crime every two days, a robbery three times a week, an abduction more than once a month, and a violent death or attempted murder every three months, according to Victoria Police data obtained by The Sunday Age.

The new crime figures paint a stark picture of the CBD as the most dangerous place in Victoria, revealing the steep human cost of transforming the city into a vibrant retail, dining and nightlife hub that now draws nearly 900,000 people a day.

But law-enforcement authorities and the state government say years of aggressive policing and tough new laws have brought the CBD through a "turbulent period" and have recently led to a notable drop in violent crime.

"I think we are starting to get it right. There's no single silver bullet in these matters; it's a cumulative effect of a number of programs and operations," Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Shane Patton said. "We went through a very turbulent period, but we're now at a really good stage where we are getting the balance right."

About 10,670 violent crimes were committed in the CBD over the past five years, representing an average of six every day, the data shows. More than 80 per cent of these offences were assaults, which some experts believe are inextricably linked to the CBD's turbulent relationship with alcohol and a legacy of years of lax liquor licensing policies.

Professor Rob Moodie, of the University of Melbourne's School of Population and Global Health, said the city was still suffering from the "unintended side effects" of a liberalised licensing regime that saw an average of two new liquor licences granted every day in the state between 1986 and 2006.

"The CBD has become an unsafe place because of the over-aggressive deregulation of the whole liquor industry. There have been some improvements, but you still have to ask whether there really needs to be so many places serving and selling alcohol at all hours," he said.

A 2012 survey found the CBD had 180 bars, taverns and pubs that could serve more than 55,500 people. A decade earlier, the precinct's then 63 venues could hold only 16,350 patrons, according to the City of Melbourne.

The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education has also estimated the number of alcohol-related assaults has soared 30 per cent in Victoria in the decade to 2011.

Sex crimes are the CBD's second-most common offence with more than 1070 incidents recorded in the past five years. There are an average of 54 rapes reported a year, which is about one a week. Indecent assault, child sex abuse and other sex crimes occur at a rate of one every two days.

"I don't think we're really seeing the full scope of what is happening considering that only a fraction of sexual assaults are reported," Centre Against Sexual Assault spokeswoman Carolyn Worth said. "It's still four assaults a week. That does not make for a safe environment."

Police, community groups and state and city authorities say a host of specialist programs targeting alcohol abuse, violence and antisocial behaviour are the reason why the number of violent offences committed in the CBD plateaued in 2013 and then fell 7.4 per cent last financial year.

They include Victoria Police's Operation Safe Streets, the 63 CCTV cameras installed as part of the Safe City program, tougher liquor licensing laws and inspections, the creation of mega taxi ranks, and partnerships with community outreach groups such as the Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army's Major Brendan Nottle said that five years ago the CBD had the feeling of being the "wild, wild west".

"The combination of these [policies], the significant number of police on the streets now, and the work our youth street teams have been doing to assist intoxicated and at-risk people is having an impact. We're not at a point where it's all sorted and we can all stay home on Friday and Saturday nights, but there has definitely been a change."

Victoria Police figures show the number of assaults, rapes, sexual offences and abductions have all declined in the past year. Robberies have fallen 29 per cent since 2010.

"It is pleasing that the most recent crime statistics show total crime is down in Melbourne, and our research shows that perceptions of safety has improved," lord mayor Robert Doyle said.

The Napthine government is gearing up for a state election that is likely to focus on law-and-order issues. Attorney-General Robert Clark claims the government's hardline reforms are "starting to reverse the harm caused by 11 years of [going] soft on crime under Labor".

These policies have included boosting police numbers, imposing two-year bans from licensed premises for acts of drunken violence, establishing four-year minimum sentences for attacks involving gross violence, and abolishing suspended sentences.

New laws are set to come that would see 10-year mandatory jail terms for those convicted of throwing fatal "coward punches", which have claimed 14 lives in alcohol and drug-related assaults in the past 12 years.

But the crime figures also show the sweeping stop-and-search powers granted to police by successive state governments have failed to deter Victorians from carrying weapons into the city centre.

Nearly 400 knife, gun, explosive and other weapons offences were recorded in the CBD in 2013-2014, soaring 37 per cent since hardline anti-weapons legislation was implemented four years ago.