Crime in Campaspe has hit its highest peak in almost a decade.

According to the Crime Statistics Agency’s latest report, Campaspe experienced a 10.3 per cent increase in criminal incidents for the year ending March 2025, compared to the previous 12-month period.

In the recorded period, Campaspe recorded 3166 incidents, up nearly 300 from 2024.

A steady increase in crime is a trend seen across the state, with a 17.1 per cent increase in offences across Victoria in the past year.

In Campaspe, theft-related offences dominated the crime statistics.

Notably, theft from retail stores entered the top five offences for the first time since the CSA began recording in 2016.

There were 272 criminal incidents of stealing from a retail store recorded, a trend that Inspector and local area commander for Campaspe David Bowler thinks is indicative of the current “fiscal environment” Victorians are facing.

“Theft from motor vehicles is an opportunistic crime, and the stress that the community is under in terms of the fiscal environment – the cost of living,” Insp Bowler said.

“That has a roll-on effect for people who are under hardship and causes an increase in crime in those areas.

“We’re certainly acutely aware that we’ve got some work to do in terms of ensuring our business owners feel safe in their business and that their products that they sell are safe.

“But we acknowledge that people are doing it tough out there, and unfortunately, some of them are resorting to having to steal to make ends meet.”

Although breaches of family violence orders have decreased since 2024, Insp Bowler noted there was only a 2.4 per cent rise in family violence cases.

This is an improvement from previous years such as 2022, which saw a 21.6 per cent increase of family violence cases.

However, the concern for police is how much under-reporting there is for family violence.

“While it’s only gone up 23 incidents of family violence … I certainly acknowledge that there is a lot of under-reporting within our community,” he said.

“There are a significant amount of people that are living in households where people are perpetrating family violence, and we are not aware of that, it’s not reported, and they’re living in fear.

“I just want to call out and encourage people to report family violence because while I think the statistics (only a small increase in family violence) are great, I don’t know it that’s a true reflection of how much family violence we have in our community.”

Along with the increase of crime, there was an increase of victim reports, rising 16.5 per cent.

There were 2380 victim reports made, compared to last year’s record of 2043.

While that can be a parallel reference to a rise of criminal incidents, Insp Bowler said it was also indicative that victim-survivors were being braver with coming forward and reporting sexual and family violence-related offences.

“It’s disappointing that our sexual offences have increased … it’s also really encouraging that our victim-survivors are feeling comfortable reporting, because these are probably the most heinous of offences, and they also involve the most private parts of our lives,” he said.

“It’s no-one’s business, and it’s really hard for a victim-survivor of sexual assault to report and have the confidence to come and tell a complete stranger about these offences.

“It’s fantastic that they’re finally getting the courage to come forward and report these.”

A statistic that Campaspe police are keeping an eye on is a rise of criminal incidents happening on the streets.

In 2025, there were 427 incidents reported happening on a street, lane or footpath, compared to last year when 354 incidents were reported.

“We’re working really hard through our local safety community about trying to look at some proactive ways we can address our local crime,” Insp Bowler said.

“One of those is trying to look at getting CCTV cameras up and running in Echuca, and we’re looking at community grants to get that up and running to help people feel safe in public areas.”

Insp Bowler strongly encourages victims of crime to report incidents directly to local police, emphasising that official channels are more effective than sharing experiences on social media community groups.

“I would really encourage them to report them to us because we can’t help you feel safe in your home unless you tell us what is going on,” he said.

“Sometimes there are people who might be the victim of a theft overnight and don’t want to bother the police, and think they’re too busy, but that piece of information might be the vital piece of the puzzle that we’re looking for.

“I think we’ve got a really vibrant community, a really safe and connected community that look after each other, and that’s one of the beauties of living in rural locations.

“So I really encourage everyone to look after one another, and that police can’t act if we don’t know about it.”

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Saturday, 17th January 2026

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