Victoria’s crime rate surges with young offenders contributing to record arrests
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The state’s offence rate has increased by 15%, with cost-of-living pressures linked to a rise in theft
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Victoria’s crime rate has increased by 15%, with cost-of-living pressures contributing to a rise in theft and youth offenders singled out as responsible for the majority of robberies.
The Crime Statistics Agency on Thursday released data showing 627,268 criminal offences were recorded in Victoria in the 12 months to March 2025 – a 17.1% increase from the previous year. When adjusted for population, the crime rate per 100,000 people was 8,838.7, marking a 15.2% rise.
Police said they arrested 25,917 people a combined 75,968 times in the year to March – the equivalent of 208 arrests per day. They said it was the third consecutive quarter where they recorded “the most arrests since electronic records began in 1993 and most likely, in Victoria police’s 172-year history”.
The five fastest-growing crimes were property offences, which police said was “traditionally the case in difficult economic times” when “cost-of-living pressures bite”. These include theft from a motor vehicle (up 39.3% since March 2024), theft of number plates (up 49.6%), theft from a retail store (up 38.6%) and other theft offence (up 20.%), with petrol the most common item stolen in this category.https://interactive.guim.co.uk/datawrapper/embed/3WafZ/2/?dark=false
Car theft was also among the fast-growing crimes, increasing by 47.1% to its highest levels since 2002. Police said the spike in car theft comes as offenders exploit electronic devices programmed to mimic keys, with Holdens, Subarus and Toyotas most targeted.
They said there had also been a 73% increase in stolen cars being involved in collisions, six of which have resulted in deaths.
Youth offending also continues to grow, with crimes committed by children aged 10 to 17 up 17.9%. It is the second quarter in a row that youth crime rates have reached record levels.
Police said children only accounted for 13.1% of all offenders but they were overrepresented in serious and violent crimes such as robberies (63.1%), aggravated burglaries (46%) and car theft (26.9%).
Both the police and the Victorian government stressed the impact of the state’s controversial new bails laws would not be evident in the data, as they only came into effect on 28 March.
The state’s police minister, Anthony Carbines, said the data was “unacceptable” and the government’s bail laws would target the repeat offenders responsible.
The laws scrap the principle of remand only as a “last resort” for accused youth offenders. In its place, community safety has become the “overarching principle” when deciding bail for children and adults.skip past newsletter promotion
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It also revives two bail offences – “committing an indictable offence while on bail for indictable offence” and “breaching of condition of bail” – which each add three months’ imprisonment to any other sentence imposed.
Carbines said since the laws had come into effect, there had been a “100%” increase in youth offenders and 31% increase in adult offenders remanded in custody since the changes came into effect.
“We’ll start to see those tougher bail laws have an effect on some of our crime statistics in future quarters … they aren’t reflected in the current quarter because there’s only probably one or two days where they apply,” he said.
Carbines also noted the government had introduced a new bill to parliament this week to criminalise offenders “posting and boasting” on social media about serious crimes such as affray, burglary and robbery, car theft, carjacking, home invasions and violent disorder. The new offence will result in up two years’ additional jail time.
The Victorian opposition leader, Brad Battin, said: “These aren’t just statistics. They’re people. Each and every time a crime is committed, someone feels less safe in their home, somebody feels less safe in the street, someone feels less safe in their community.
“The figures we’re seeing today are scary. They’re breaking records we don’t want to see broken.”
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Georgia student’s smiling mugshot after high-speed arrest sparks social media frenzy
by JAMEL VALENCIA | The National News DeskThu, March 20, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Updated Thu, March 20, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Booking photo for Lily Stewart.Stewart was arrested and charged with speeding in excess of the maximum limit on March 8, 2025. (Morgan County Sheriff’s Office)
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MORGAN COUNTY, Ga. (TNND) — A Georgia woman is facing charges after a traffic stop turned into an arrest, with social media users chiming in with plenty of humor about the incident and her booking photo.
Earlier this month, a Georgia State Police trooper stated in an incident report that they spotted a 2021 Volvo XC40 speeding on Georgia State Route 24. The trooper confirmed that the SUV was traveling at 70 mph in a 55 mph zone using their radar. After initiating a stop, the driver, 22-year-old Lily Frances Stewart, was issued a citation for speeding and released to go.
Things didn’t end there, just two minutes later, the trooper noticed Stewart’s vehicle speeding again – this time at 84 mph, the reported stated. Concerned about the escalating speed and the recent citation, the trooper noted that they stopped Stewart again. When the trooper approached the SUV, the officer arrested Stewart, charging her with reckless driving, citing the risk to public safety from her “excessive speeding and repeated disregard for the law.”
The state trooper noted that Stewart’s actions posed a significant risk to herself and others on the road, especially given the multiple traffic violations in such a short period.
The incident raised questions about Stewart’s behavior, leading to an outpouring of comments on social media.
One Facebook user joked on The Georgia Gazette’s post, “The face you make when you know your dad is going to be impressed by how fast you were going.”
Another user added, “Nah, the graduation smile on the mugshot is devious.” Others suggested excuses like, “Your honor, she was on the way to rescue my cat from a burning tree.”
Stewart’s mugshot, which is circulating online, has garnered attention for her smiling booking photo. Some people online wondered if she was already planning her next “speedy” move: “Bet she asks the DMV if they could use that as her updated driver’s license pic.”
In an exclusive interview with The New York Post, Stewart, who is a student at the University of Georgia, laughed off the attention and embraced the jokes surrounding her glamorous appearance.
Stewart explained in her interview that she was on her way to a friend’s birthday party in Milledgeville, Georgia, and noted the timing of the stop played a role in her striking appearance.
“I was going to a friend’s birthday in Milledgeville, and I had just gotten ready not long before, so that’s maybe why my makeup and hair still looked good,” she told The New York Post.
Stewart appeared to not let the attention bother her. “I think it’s hilarious. I don’t know what all the hype is about. I just took a mugshot and went on with my day,” she added. “I don’t let it get under my skin too much.”
