Crime crackdown: Cops to target repeat offenders

By Cherie Donnellan
SURGING crime rates have prompted police to launch an operation targeting the Geelong region’s recidivist offenders, Victoria’s top cop has announced.
Chief Commissioner Ken Lay said he would send a flying squad to Geelong and the Surf Coast to combat crimes including armed robberies, family violence and drug offences.
Commissioner Lay said a “disturbing” rise in crime since last year had prompted the statewide Operation Bia.
“We have launched a major blitz operation aimed at cracking down on repeat offenders and restoring public confidence in some of our communities that suffer from high-volume crimes.”
Latest police crime statistics show that domestic violence accounted for more than a third of assaults in the region in the past year.
Assaults excluding family violence within the division were up 7.7 per cent.
Geelong recorded the third largest increase in assault reports, 17.8 per cent.
The police division covering Hume, Moonee Valley and Moreland had the largest increase, 18.3 per cent.
The figures also revealed that robberies in Geelong and Surf Coast were up 48.6 per cent.
The figures were based on rates per 100,000 head of population.
“We will continue to review the effect Operation Bia has in reducing these crimes and the prevalence of recidivist offenders as part of our commitment to creating a safer community,” Commissioner Lay said.