Victoria’s crime rates are 13.8 percent higher than they were last year, and the Yarra Ranges is no exception.
This week, the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) published Victoria’s crime data statistics for the period June 2024 to June 2025.
The findings revealed that the state’s crime rate rose by 13.8 per cent, after accounting for population growth – an increase of 86,587 offences since June 2024.
According to the data, the Yarra Ranges also saw a rise in the number of offences, with the period’s total number of recorded offences sitting at 8158 – a 15.6 per cent rise since last year.
Lilydale, Mooroolbark, Chirnside Park, Kilsyth and Healesville constituted the top five suburbs with the fastest growing offence rates, with 1624 offences recorded in the suburb of Lilydale, an additional 215 from the previous year.
In these suburbs, the most common location types where crimes occurred were at houses, on streets, lanes and footpaths, in driveways or carports, at retail businesses and at petrol stations respectively.
In order, the top types of crime included the breach of family violence orders, theft from motor vehicles, criminal damage, other types of theft and stealing from retail stores.
Where last year’s data found the most common alleged offender age categories to be relatively even between 10 to 17 year olds and those aged 45 and over, this year’s data shows that the number of alleged offenders aged 45 and over far outnumber those from the 10 to 17 years age bracket.
The data from both 2024 and 2025 indicate that most alleged offenders are within the age brackets of 10 to 17 and 45 and over. Last year, 520 alleged offenders were children aged 10 to 17 and 568 were adults aged 45 years and above. This year, there are 568 alleged offenders aged 10 to 17, and 710 aged 45 years and over.
More broadly across Victoria, the CSA’s data found that the five fastest growing offences were predominantly acquisitive crimes, with theft from motor vehicles remaining the fastest growing and most common crime in Victoria.
Where this year’s data showed an additional 24,409 instances of theft from motor vehicles, rendering this offence the most common crime in Victoria, number plates were the most prevalent item stolen, accounting for almost 40 per cent of all theft from motor vehicles.
Motor vehicle theft was the second most common offence, and is at its highest level since 2002, seeing a 42.1 per cent increase to reach a total of 33,018 instances of theft.
An increase in technology-facilitated car theft was suggested by police intelligence, with a conservative estimate suggesting at least one in five of all cars is being stolen by offenders using electronic key reprogramming or mimicking devices.
While these devices are not illegal to own, Victoria Police has seized more than 800 in the past year from individuals arrested for stealing cars.
Family violence order breaches were third among the top five most common offences, with Victoria experiencing a record 106,427 family violence incidents.
Theft from retail stores, along with other miscellaneous instances of theft, were the fourth and fifth most common crimes, respectively. The theft of petrol was the most common item stolen in the other instances of theft category.
Prohibited and controlled weapons offences, including the use of knives and items such as knuckle dusters, batons and tasers, did not feature in Victoria’s top five most common crimes.
The notion that repeat offenders are driving up the arrest numbers can also be deduced from the data, as a small cohort of repeat offenders remains responsible for a large proportion of total crime recorded in Victoria.
For example, Victoria Police arrested 1128 child offenders aged between ten and 17 years, a combined 7,118 times, with total arrests increasing by 26.7 per cent from the previous year.
There were 149 fewer child offenders in the reporting period, indicating that repeat offenders are driving the arrest numbers. Organised crime is also a factor in a range of crime categories, including retail crime, where we have seen retail theft syndicates stealing goods worth up to $10 million.
According to the Victoria Police, offending by children remains a significant concern. While children account for only 12.8 per cent of all offenders processed, they are overrepresented in serious and violent crimes such as robberies, aggravated burglaries, and car theft.
In response to the CSA’s published crime statistics data, Victoria Police also noted that aggravated home burglaries remain “unacceptably high,” having risen by 21.7 per cent from 6454 to 7856 offences between June 2024 and June 2025.
Victoria Police also suggested that car keys remain the most common item targeted during aggravated home burglaries.
In response to this period’s rise in crime, Victoria Police suggests increasing accountability for crimes in accompaniment with ongoing swift arrests and proactive operations to prevent crime in the first place.
Deputy Commissioner of Regional Operations at Victoria Police Bob Hill said, “As a society, we simply cannot allow the level of crime we are seeing to become normalised and accepted. Every Victorian deserves to feel safe in their home, within the community and on the roads.”
“Victoria Police is tackling these issues head on. Our members are doing exceptional work to resolve these crimes. But it must be said – the number of arrests we are seeing reflects an unacceptable level of offending,” he said.
“We will continue to make arrests and hold offenders to account, but we need to prevent and deter crime to reduce offending so that there are fewer victims in Victoria.”
Mr Hill also noted that the community should continue to take steps to aid in the prevention of crime, such as locking doors and considering anti-theft devices for vehicles.
“Victoria Police has set an ambitious target of reducing serious and violent crime by five per cent each year. There is no doubt this will be a challenge, but it is a fight we are up for to ensure our community remains as safe as possible,” he said.
“Right now we are working on new approaches that will deter repeat offenders and help stop these crimes before they can occur. This includes a focus on how we can get more police out on the streets”
The Crime Statistics Agency’s release of the Victorian recorded crime statistics encompassed the first release of Victorian bail statistics.
To report a non-urgent crime or for non-urgent police assistance, call 131 444.
To report information anonymously, call 1800 333 000 or visit the Crime Stoppers Victoria website: crimestoppersvic.com.au/report-a-crime/
