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Wednesday 15 January 2020
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Winners
OptiKA photography competition award winners (left to right) Nathan Giles, Rebecca Marshall, Wei Fu, and Matt Harvey. See story page 7. Picture: Supplied
Crime rate highest in a decade Brodie Cowburn brodie@baysidenews.com.au KINGSTON’S criminal incident rate was at its highest in a decade in 2019 according to the Crime Statistics Agency. The latest CSA figures released last month revealed that the total number
of criminal incidents in the Kingston municipality rose sharply in the year ending September 2019. The total number of recorded incidents for the year was 8,894, up 8.2 per cent from last year. The criminal incident rate per 100,000 people in Kingston for 2019 was 5381. The figure is still below the
state average, but is Kingston’s worst crime rate for the decade. Crimes were committed in Cheltenham more than in any other local suburb by a wide margin. 1506 criminal incidents were reported in the suburb, over 500 more than next on the list. The crime rate in Cheltenham and Moorabbin was reported to have in-
creased in 2019, although it has fallen in Mentone, Mordialloc, and Clayton South. The most reported principal offence was stealing from a motor vehicle. There were 1552 reported incidents in Kingston, up from 1281 the year prior. Frankston Police Detective Sergeant Nick Lamb said that police needed the
public’s help to combat the rising rate of thefts from cars. “There has been a spike in unlocked vehicles with valuables inside being targeted,” he said. “We are asking local residents to work with us to stop these crimes. Lock your vehicles and put your valuables inside your house.” Continued Page 10