Crime Statistics Agency: Drug possession top offence for south-west as overall crime decreases

Latest data from the Crime Statistics Agency shows drug-related crime is the main offence in the region according to the 12 months to March.

An uptick in the offence was recorded in four south-west local government areas including Corangamite Shire (30, up from 29 in the previous year), Warrnambool (190 from 148) Moyne Shire (29 from 23) and Colac-Otway Shire (99 from 74).

Warrnambool Police Senior Sergeant Leigh Creasey said the trend could be explained by an increase in targeted police activity.

"Generally statistics for offences of drug possession, traffic, cultivate are driven by police activity in this area," he said.

"The more operations or police activity in this area will nearly always result in an increase in statistics."

The data also showed the top locations for all crimes committed were unanimously in homes and on footpaths across the board.

Senior Sergeant Creasey said that was "not surprising".

"Burglary of aggravated burglary, theft from and theft of motor vehicles are predominantly stolen from the home or were parked in front the victim's house," he said.

"Some simple and inexpensive target hardening can prevent people from becoming victims in their own homes.

"That includes locking your doors, house and car, investing in some security lighting or sensor lights, not leaving valuable in clear sight and never leaving the car keys in the ignition."

But overall, the total number of offences recorded had generally decreased across the region, with five of six south-west LGAs seeing a downturn.

The Southern Grampians Shire was the only LGA to see an increase with an uptick of 3.2 per cent.

Moyne saw the most dramatic decrease (23.8 per cent) followed by Corangamite Shire (22.1 per cent) Colac-Otway Shire (6.9 per cent) and Glenelg Shire (5 per cent).

Warrnambool saw the smallest decrease at 3.2 per cent.

Senior Sergeant Creasey said it was pleasing but warned against complacency.

"(It's) always great to see a reduction in crime offences, after all that's what everyone wants to see and one of Victoria Police's main objectives is to ensure we have a safe and orderly society," he said.

"What everyone needs to be aware of is that when you're looking at percentage rises or decreases across our LGAs is that we are coming off a low crime base in numbers compared to a large regional centre such as Ballarat or Geelong.

"That means a handful of crimes can greatly affect the percentages either up or down.

"A lot of offences are committed by recidivist offenders, when police charge and bail or remand one of these people that can cause a reduction in offending.

"Alternatively, when they are released from custody back into the community if they continue to re-offend, that can cause a rise in crime percentages.

"So although the statistics can seem to fluctuate and seem high or low at times, the raw numbers don't show any major issues or concerns."

Meanwhile, the offence of criminal damage spiralled in Warrnambool from 272 down to 197.

However, the number of breaches of bail conditions in the city nearly doubled from 139 to 258.

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