Community safety in Baw Baw must be a priority

The Andrews Labor Government is failing to protect communities, as Victoria records the highest number of criminals in 15 years.

Figures from the Crime Statistics Agency show a 23.96 per cent increase in the number of offences in Baw Baw local government area since Daniel Andrews was elected in 2014, from 3,811 to 4,724.

Across the State, recorded offences in Victoria are up 12 per cent since December 2014, with an extra 20 crimes recorded each and every day in the past year alone.

Member for Eastern Victoria Melina Bath said the State Government had failed the Baw Baw community, at a time when Victorians have the worst perception of safety in the nation.

“These new figures show that community safety in Baw Baw has been neglected under the Andrews Labor Government,” Ms Bath said.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe in their homes and communities, but Daniel Andrews has failed to protect Victorians, as crime continues to grow.

“While local police do a great job in our communities, under Labor crime in Baw Baw local government area has risen due to Daniel Andrews’s unwillingness to deliver for regional Victorians and tackle crime.

“The Andrews Government missed another opportunity recently to help our farmers tackle rural crime with its Farm Crime Coordination Unit failing to include any increase to the number of frontline police dedicated to solving rural crime.”

Despite the Andrews Government’s $200 million ‘ICE Action Plan’, there has been an increase of 137 per cent in Ice possession across the state since December 2014.

And more 15 year-olds are committing violent offences than ever before, as Daniel Andrews fails to tackle worsening youth crime.

“Daniel Andrews and Labor have no plan to keep Victorians safe in their homes, to keep our communities free from crime or to make sure young people don’t find themselves in trouble with the law,” Ms Bath said.