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Wednesday, September 28, 2022
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SPRING INTO WINTER WITH canola fields on display for kilometres and snow still falling on the mountain, it seems Mansfield doesn’t know what season it is - spring or winter? PHOTO: Nicola Beautyman
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MANSFIELD SHIRE 20TH ANNIVERSARY
Crime plummets Statistics show Mansfield’s lowest criminal rate in 10 yyears and well below state level MANSFIELD Shi Shire h has recorded a 22.3 per cent drop in the number of criminal incidents reported compared with those from the same time last year, making it the lowest in 10 years. Figures released by the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) last week show an overall drop in incidents of 311 from year ending June 2022 compared with 400 in year ending June 2021. The figures reflect the lowest criminal incident rate in the shire for the past decade, beating out the previous leading figures in 2013. Mansfield continues
BY SHAUN McMAHON smcmahon@ nemedia.com.au
to sit well below the state crime average, with a criminal incident rate per 100,000 population of 3018.2 compared with the Victorian rate of 5177.9. Incidents in the Mansfield township have decreased sharply, with 147 recorded this year compared with 217 in 2021. Criminal damage incidents, incidents within the home, and incidents on the street also saw big drops, as did public health and safety offences.
Breaches B h off family f il violence orders have also declined, changing the upward trend the shire was experiencing in statistics reported earlier in March this year. The surrounding suburbs of Bonnie Doon, Jamieson and Tolmie all saw small increases in total criminal incidents. Maindample experienced the largest increase of seven to 24 incidents. As parkland/reserve offences in the shire was one of the only other categories to see a notable increase (14 to 45) it stands to reason the two spikes are likely linked the protest which occurred
in i Maindample M i d l late l t last l t year. State-wide, there was a decrease of 10 per cent in criminal offences recorded from the same twelve-month period in 2021. This represents the lowest number of criminal offences committed in the year ending June since 2014. “Victoria has seen a notable decrease in overall recorded crime levels during the COVID-19 pandemic period,” said CSA chief statistician Fiona Dowsley. “Decreases in acquisitive crime such as thefts and deception have contributed to the lowest victimisation numbers and rates since 2005.
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“Decreases breaches “D iin b h off Chief Health Officer orders have continued to be the main driver of the decreases in key crime measures in the last 12 months from peaks in 2020.” Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Rick Nugent said the continued low crime rates are a positive sign as we move further away from the restrictions imposed during the pandemic. “In perhaps the most pleasing sign, we saw the lowest number of victims of crime in Victoria since the introduction of the Law Enforcement Assistance Program in 1993,” he said.
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“Our will “O focus f ill remain i steadfast on ensuring the community not is only safe but feels safe. “Our Neighbourhood Policing Model will also ensure local police are tackling the local issues the community care most about, resulting in more visible police, targeted police interventions to fix issues, and open communication with community members.” Neighbouring shire Strathbogie also experienced a notable 15.1 per cent drop in criminal incidents, while the Wangaratta and Alpine shires remain steady with mild 0.3 and 2.4 per cent increases respectively.
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