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Wednesday, December 29, 2021
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Sport
FUN IN THE SUN THE holidays are finally upon us and with the sun out and Lake Eildon enjoying its highest level in years, there is plenty of sports and enjoyment to be had on the water. PHOTO: Luke Bender
Crime stats on cruise control Family violence up, theft hef down as Mansfield’s overall criminal offences remain s steady eady MANSFIELD has h recorded d d a near identical number of criminal incidents this year compared with last year in numbers released by the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) this week. The figures show a consistent past three years after notable drops from peaks in 2016 and 2017. Some 357 incidents were categorised as criminal in nature in the year ending September, 39.2 per cent of which resulted in charges being laid. The consistent rate on
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the CSA database shows a tapering from only weeks ago, when data showed total crime was up 24 per cent in Mansfield for the year ending June 2021. Theft, burglary and break-in offences were all down on last year, but houses were once again the leading location for criminal incidents, with increases in breaches of family violence
orders d ((41), ) firearms off ffences (24) and criminal damage (39). Mansfield’s drop in burglary and theft related charges were also found throughout Victoria, which a police spokesperson linked to “residents spending large amounts of time in their homes, which reduced opportunities for would-be offenders”. Deputy Commissioner of Regional Operations, Rick Nugent, said Victoria Police was happy to see the overall reduction in crime over the past year.
““Less crime i means fewer victims and we are particularly encouraged by the reduced number of burglaries, robberies and thefts, offences that can be very distressing for victims,” he said. “Over the coming month, we’ll have police out in great numbers monitoring criminal and anti-social behaviour as part of Operation Summersafe. “Our highway patrol units will be on the roads and on the lookout for dangerous drivers as part of Operation Roadwise.
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will be signifi ““There h ill b i ificant public order operations around pubs and clubs to ensure everyone gets home safely from their end of year break-ups, and regular police patrols around busy locations such as shopping centres and transport hubs. “While we’ll play our part in ensuring everyone enters 2022 and beyond safely, we are also encouraging the entire community to look after one another while celebrating with family and friends.” CSA statistics released last month which highlighted
data on sexuall assault d l reporting, showed the Mansfield Shire has also seen a decrease in reported sexual assault incidents for financial year 2020-21. Despite the sharp 31.1 per cent increase in total recorded family incidents, which puts the town just above the state-wide average in this category, Mansfield continues to sit well below the state crime average overall, with a criminal incident rate per 100,000 population of 3723.8, compared with the Victorian rate of 5358.1.
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