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Police | March 26, 2018

Crime up 20 per cent across Lowan

The Nationals Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy MP says crime rates in the Lowan electorate have increased an average of 20 percent over the past three years under Daniel Andrews watch.

New figures released by the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency this month show 384 offences were recorded in the Hindmarsh Shire Council in the year to December 2017 – an increase of 68.4 per cent since Daniel Andrews took office in 2014.

The number of offences has also risen sharply in the Yarriambiack and Southern Grampians Shire Councils, with rises of 34.6 percent and 33.4 per cent respectively.

Across the eight municipalities covered by the Lowan electorate crime rates have risen an average of 20 per cent, with only Glenelg, Horsham and West Wimmera Councils showing a decrease in offences at 5 per cent, 0.9 percent and 2.6 percent respectively.

Statewide figures show Victorians are more likely to be victims of crime than anywhere else in Australia, with almost 50,000 additional offences recorded in the year to December 2017 compared with the year before Daniel Andrews took office.

“Victoria has become the crime capital of Australia under Daniel Andrews,” Ms Kealy said.

“We are in the grips of a law and order crisis, but the Premier for Melbourne has watered down bail laws, weakened sentencing and failed to equip our regional police with adequate resources to protect our streets.

“Our hardworking local police do a fantastic job with the resources at hand, but Labor’s failure to fund new staff to compensate for the two-up staffing rule means a lesser local police presence.

“Lowan residents have a clear choice in November between Daniel Andrews, who has spent three years failing on crime, or the Nationals who have a clear plan to make Victoria safe again,” she said.