Youth crime on the rise as teenagers take to streets in stolen cars

In 2023, the rate of offenders between the ages of 10 and 17 spiked at 646 - that's 174 more than 2022.

The crime statistics reflect growing concerns in the community about the number of aggravated burglaries and car thefts being reported to police.

Bendigo residents have told the Bendigo Advertiser they are living in fear in their own home. In February 2024, around 200 people attended a community meeting in Strathfieldsaye to discuss what they could do to improve safety in their neighbourhoods.

Inspector Tim Tucker, the Local Area Commander at the Bendigo Police Station, says the rate of aggravated burglaries and car thefts had only gone up in the last three months.

"It's definitely a priority on our radar," he said of the rate of young offenders.

"We have a lot of local police involved in targeting these offenders."

These burglaries are considered aggravated because someone is at home when it occurs - they rarely involve an attack or weapon.

The primary purpose of the burglaries is to steal a car, Inspector Tucker said, with offenders likely to flee if disturbed.

"90 per cent of all the aggravated burglaries involve no confrontation with any person," he said.

"Most people don't even know what's happened until they get up."

The stolen cars are often used in other crimes, with the rate of dangerous driving rising alongside the number of teenage offenders.

A total of 160 were incidents reported last year, more than three times as many as were reported in 2019.

Stealing from a vehicle was the second most common crime in the Greater Bendigo area, spiking to 1160 incidents last year.

Thefts of motor vehicles rose by exactly 100 incidents in the year to 2023.

Police are advising the public to make sure they lock their cars and homes in an effort to curb these types of offences.

"It's really opportunistic offending," Inspector Tucker said.

"All the people we've been interviewing in connection with these incidents, they're telling us that they'll just try multiple homes or cars until they find one that is unlocked."

He advised people to ensure their homes and cars are locked and keys are not left in view of the street. Internal doors between their houses and garages should also be kept locked.

"Our messaging has been consistent. Please lock your homes. Please lock your vehicles."

The rate of criminal incidents in the Greater Bendigo area increased by 9.6 per cent from 2022 to 2023, with the numbers at their highest since the spikes experienced over the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Bendigo, Kangaroo Flat, Golden Square, Long Gully and Eaglehawk were the suburbs with the highest number of crimes.

All but Golden Square experienced an increase in incidents from 2022.

Bendigo police are working with support services, the Children's Court and local leaders to try and break the cycle of offending.

Inspector Tucker, however, warned that police had a zero tolerance approach to these crimes.

"If people continue to re-offend, particularly young people, we have no hesitation in arresting them, putting them back before the courts and holding them to account," he said.