Latest data released by the Crime Statistics Agency for the year ending March, 2018, shows 9655 offences committed in Greater Bendigo – a drop from the 10,674 recorded in 2017.

A drop in theft was primarily responsible for a 15 per cent decrease in the property and deception offences category which 4689 recorded incidents in 2018 compared to 5533 in 2018.

Burglaries and break and enter offences in 2018 were 719, down from 864 recorded the year before.

An increase of 181 sexual offences in the region is the primary influence of the crimes against the person category rising in past year to 1700 from 1504 offences in 2017.

Drug offences and public security offences both decreased in the past 12 months.

Mount Alexander experienced an eight per cent decrease in crime overall.

Property and deception offences went from 608 to 462 and public order and security offences dropping from 114 to 72.

Campaspe saw a drop in every category except justice procedures offences. Total offences reported numbered 3667, down from 3475 the year before.

Justice procedure offences totaled 842 in the year ending March, 2018 – an increase of 51 per cent from 2017 when there were 557.

Breaches of family violence orders have increased in the past 12 months. 

Mount Alexander had 251 breaches of family violence orders – up from 147 in 2017.

Campaspe also experienced an increase of 210 family violence order breaches in the past 12 months. In the year to March, 2018, Campaspe recorded 465 instances of a breach of family violence order compared 255 in 2017.

Breaches of orders in Greater Bendigo dropped by 14 per cent in the last 12 months from 1921 to 1656 but the number of breaches this year (1656) is still the second highest annual number for the city in the past decade.