BALLARAT’S top police officer says perception of a high crime rate in the city masks a reality which shows offending is decreasing throughout the region.
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It comes as April’s Ipsos Issues Monitor survey shows that crime is the biggest concern among regional voters and people aged over 50. More than half of voters surveyed listed crime above any other concerns including cost of living and healthcare.
Regional Superintendent Jenny Wilson said Ballarat and Moorabool crime rates were no different to figures around the state.
“Some of the crimes we have witnessed this year across the state have been confronting,” Superintendent Wilson said.
“But we must not lose sight of the fact that crime is coming down in Victoria and crime has dropped in Ballarat and Moorabool in 2017.”
Figures to the end of 2017 show there were 11,594 crimes committed in the Ballarat region, a 6.6 per cent reduction on 2016 where there were 12,105 crimes. The Crime Statistics Agency figures show that a small number of offenders are responsible for many crimes.
“Locally we have found a large proportion of our crime is committed by a group of repeat offenders,” Superintendent Wilson said.
“We have dedicated response teams looking at high volume crime offences and generally we find we solve and/or arrest offenders for a number of these incidents.
“We are exploring ways we can work with other government and community agencies to help support the rehabilitation of these offenders and move them away from repeat offending.
“We are well supported with this process by our local police proactive team who work within the community on crime prevention, with our at risk youth and with other vulnerable groups to build community resilience and prevent crimes before they occur.”
Superintendent Wilson said it was up to police to change perceptions of a high crime rate.
“It’s not all about catching offenders, it’s about our actions with the public and engaging with the community in positive ways,” she said.
“I think there has been a lot of change in the environment of policing in general.
“What police have to do is reduce harm and make people feel safe. If people are perceiving they are not safe, there is some work for us to do to get that reassurance.”
