In the past 12 months, the major population centre of the shire has had a 20 per cent increase in criminal incidents, having the major influence on a 16.1 per cent shire-wide increase.
The increase was almost three times the state increase in total crime, which was 5.6 per cent, with 361,140 incidents reported in the 12 months ending March 2023.
Kyabram accounts for only 15 per cent of all criminal incidents in the shire.
There were 439 criminal acts in Kyabram in 2022-23, among a total of 2802 for the shire — 1708 of those in Echuca.
Echuca had 342 more crimes in the past 12 months than were reported in 2022.
Kyabram’s population of 7416 (ABS figures from the 2021 census) represents 19 per cent of the 38,735 Campaspe Shire population so, at least by the numbers, the township has a better per-capita criminal activity result than the shire capital.
Echuca has a population of 15,056 (38.86 per cent of the shire) and its crime figure represented 60 per cent of the total crime reported for the year.
Campaspe was 13th highest for the total number of criminal incidents per 100,000 residents in all Victorian local government areas.
The Kyabram figure is only 16 more than the 2021-22 total of criminal incidents in Kyabram.
Family violence incidents in Campaspe Shire reduced by 10 per cent in the past 12 months, according to Victorian statistics released earlier this month by the Crime Statistics Agency.
In the past 12 months there were 92 less family incidents in the Campaspe region, but the region remains well above the state average.
Celebrating the 10 per cent reduction in family incidents for Campaspe will be difficult for law enforcers as the level is significantly above the state average.
For the year ending March 2023, the family incident rate (measured per 100,000 population) for Campaspe was 2058.1. That is signfiicantly more than the Victorian rate of 1377.1.
Campaspe’s overall crime rate has increased 16.1 per cent, which is well above the state average, with criminal damage and breaches of family violence orders the main two offence categories.
There were 337 criminal damage incidents, a majority of those in Echuca.
Echuca accounts for 1708 of the 2802 criminal incidents, with Kyabram next on 439 and Rochester on 167, up from 133 the previous year.
There were 78 incidents in Rushworth, up from 69 the previous year, and 66 in Tongala, down from 73.
Most criminal incidents occurred in homes, almost 1000 in fact, while 453 were reported from the street.
Aside from the 259 family violence breaches, there were 221 thefts, 217 robberies from motor vehicles and 196 residential non-aggravated burglaries.
More than half of the reported criminal incidents went unsolved (51.8 per cent) and 31.4 per cent resulted in charges being laid. In 16.8 per cent of cases, no charges were laid.
In comparison, the figures in Greater Shepparton showed a two per cent reduction in total criminal incidents. Family violence order breaches was again the top category.
Greater Bendigo had a 5.4 per cent total criminal incident increase, with thefts from a motor vehicle the leading offence. In Greater Bendigo, 37.4 per cent of incidents resulted in charges.
Mitchell Shire, which has Seymour as its major population base, saw an increase of 9.6 per cent in criminal incidents.
Both Greater Shepparton and Greater Bendigo had criminal statistics that, like Campaspe, were above the state average, while Mitchell was below the state average.
Moira Shire had a result below the state criminal incident average and a one per cent overall increase.
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