There was a 17.7 per cent increase in family incidents across the region in the last 12 months to the end of September.

This is the highest increase in Greater Bendigo in five years.

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Overall, criminal incidents dropped by 0.8 per cent across the region in 2021, with a total 8,002 events recorded.

Kangaroo Flat, Long Gully and Eaglehawk all saw incidents drop, while numbers rose Bendigo and Golden Square.

The top five offences committed in Greater Bendigo included stealing from a motor vehicle, breach of a family violence order, other theft, breach of bail conditions and criminal damage.

Across Victoria, however, total crime dropped by 10 per cent, a reduction of 55,128 less offences.

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner (Regional Operations) Rick Nugent said the reduction was a "really good" result.

The fall in crime precipitated a 9.3 per cent drop in the number of total victims, down by more than 27,000.

However, several concerning increases were recorded.

Like Bendigo, Victoria (state-wide) recorded an increase in stalking, harassment and threatening behaviour. These incidents spiked by 10.6 per cent according to the data.

Sexual offences rose by four per cent and there was a 2.1 per cent increase in assaults, jumping by almost 1000 to 46,081 recorded cases.

Family violence incidents increased by 2.8 per cent, as did the rate of incidents which rose by 3.1 per cent.

Breaches of family violence orders - which make up about half of all family violence offences - rose by 7.8 per cent.

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Mr Nugent said there had been a spike in family violence at the start of each of the six lockdowns, during which Victorians endured more than 200 days in their homes.

"But after the initial lockdown, these numbers then stabilised," he said.

"We still know that family violence is under reported - under reported in many categories and cohorts of people.

"The cult community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, the elderly, the LGBTIQ community and also those with a disability."

- AAP

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