Shepparton police Inspector Bruce Simpson said the data from March 2024 to March 2025 was “reflective of general crime across Victoria” and not just in Shepparton, but said police were still surprised at the jump.
“20.1 per cent comes off the back of a couple of years of consistently low rates, so this is a bit of a surprise,” he said.
Insp Simpson said family violence numbers had increased, along with the number of people caught for shop thefts and the number of thefts of vehicles.
He said police had cracked down on shop thefts in the past 12 months, with several operations held, and this would have increased the numbers of people caught.
He also sent a warning to car owners to make sure they locked their vehicles.
“The majority of cars stolen have been unlocked,” he said.
He said the same went for vehicles that had items stolen from them.
“We’ve been trying to get the message through for years to lock your stuff up,” Insp Simpson said.
Insp Simpson said residents would be able to tell police about their concerns and what issues were important to them at a Victoria Police Neighbourhood Policing Forum to be held in Shepparton later this month.
The forum — which will be held online to allow for more people to take part — will explore topics including current crime trends and crime prevention, young people, family violence, road policing and drugs and drug-related crime.
The forum will be run by a Victoria Police panel, and questions will be taken from the audience through an online question-and-answer portal during the event.
Insp Simpson said the forum was held every couple of years in Shepparton, but this was the first time it was to be held online.
Previously, it has been held in-person, but feedback police had received had said that as it was held during the day, it was difficult for people who worked traditional office hours to get to, he said.
This year, it will be held at 6pm online.
Insp Simpson said police often found similar issues were raised at the forum each time it was held, but could move to work on things that were of particular concern to people.
He said road policing was a particular concern raised last time the forum was held, after a horror year of road deaths in the region.
Acting Senior Sergeant Jasmine Gregor said since then, police had formed a road safety plan for the region, and looking at road safety data from the past five years, had targeted specific areas of concerns for the time of year.
“It has run for six months with huge success,” she said.
Insp Simpson said the forum was an important way for residents to have their voices heard.
“It’s important we have these conversations with our community,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to as many people jumping online as possible.”
The forum will be held on July 23 from 6pm to 8pm.
People must register to take part, and can do so at https://NHPshepparton.eventbrite.com
A Microsoft Teams link will be made available via email to all registered attendees on the day of the event.
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