By Luke Voogt
Family violence and intervention order breaches and sexual offences have increased significantly across Geelong in the year since Australia’s COVID-19 pandemic began, according to crime data released yesterday.
But overall offences dropped by two per cent, a decrease closer to 5.5 per cent taking 798 COVID-19 offences into account, according to Geelong Superintendent Peter Ward.
“The operating environment that we’re in has been challenging with COVID,” Superintendent Ward said.
“It has put a lot of pressure on our workforce but they have really stepped up to the plate.”
Intervention order breaches increased from 170 to 245 in the year to March 2021, a 41 per cent increase taking population growth into account, according to Crime Statistics Agency Victoria data.
Family violence order breaches increased from 1966 to 2491, up almost a quarter per 100,000 people, while sexual offences rose from 508 to 602, an increase of 16 per cent.
“COVID has added a lot of stress physically, mentally and financially on individuals and families,” Superintendent Ward said.
“I have no doubt that there are some correlations between those stressors and instances of family violence.”
But he also attributed the increase to the trust officers had built in the local community by cracking down on family violence.
“That trust leads to people coming forward and identifying that they are victims of family violence,” he said.
Superintendent Ward praised Geelong and Surf Coast residents’ “resilience” and their response “to the restrictions being placed on us”.
During the most recent lockdowns Geelong police handed out only a “handful” of fines to people “who couldn’t justify their movements” to and from metropolitan Melbourne, Superintendent Ward said.
Geelong police conducted high-visibility patrols day and night to catch anyone flouting the recent restrictions, he said.
“The compliance was very high.”
Burglaries decreased by a third, assaults dropped by nine per cent and theft was down by a quarter, including decreases of just under a third in both vehicle theft and thefts from vehicles.
A large portion of burglaries and thefts occurred due to locals leaving homes and cars unlocked, Superintendent Ward said.
“I think as a community we can ensure we are more vigilant.
