The Crime Statistics Agency released the data - recorded by Victoria Police to December 2023 - and found theft from vehicles was among the top five offences and incidents recorded, followed by "other theft", criminal damage, family violence order breaches and stealing from a retail store.

The data revealed the majority of offences and incidents occurred at a house, and Ballarat Central was the top suburb for the most number of items stolen, followed by Wendouree, Sebastopol, Ballarat East and Alfredton.

Ballarat divisional commander Jason Templar said the figures re-iterate the importance of residents securing their vehicles and properties.

"We're still finding two out of three vehicles are being left unlocked and with valuables inside of them," he said.

"There's a strong message there that they (community members) can do a lot to deter offending, especially when they know the offending is occurring in their area.

"... Locking garages and all of those preventative measures so that they reduce the potential to be a victim of crime.

"If we increase the risk we reduce the reward for offenders and we know that ... reduces crime. But we can't do that in isolation, there needs to be an entire community response."

All up the number of criminal incidents recorded in Ballarat increased by 8.9 per cent - from 8,014 in 2022 to 8,729 in 2023. The number of offences recorded also went up from 10,953 in 2022 to 11,715 in 2023 - up seven per cent.

Ballarat's offence rate is 9931.7 per 100,000 people, higher than the Victorian average of 7698.2 per 100,000 people. The criminal incident rate per 100,000 people is also higher than Victorian rate.

The majority of incidents and offences recorded were "unsolved", while 33 per cent of criminal incidents resulted in charges being laid and just over 13 per cent ending in no charges.

The Moorabool Shire also saw a concerning rise, with offences recorded going up 24.2 per cent and criminal incidents increasing by 24.2 per cent compared to the previous year.

Breaches of family violence orders topped the most number of offences followed by theft from a motor vehicle.

Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Neil Paterson said statewide offences have also increased following the impact of COVID-19.

"When population is considered, Victoria pleasingly still has its third lowest crime rate at any point over the past decade - ahead of only 2022 and the COVID-marred 2021," he said.

"While this is positive, that doesn't mean there aren't areas of concern."