There was a 567 per cent increase in break-ins at businesses in Victoria during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the same time period last year, according to statistics shared by VicPD.
Victoria Police have released a series of statistics showing how many and what types of calls they’ve received in the period between March 15 and May 2, 2020, compared to the same time period in 2019.
In nearly every category, there was a spike in the number of calls for service police have responded to in the past couple of months.
The most striking change has been in the number of break-ins into business in Victoria and Esquimalt. In 2019, police responded to 12 such incidents, whereas in 2020, there were 80 reported break-ins.
Other notable crime increases were in thefts from vehicles, robbery, and mischief. Police also responded to 20 per cent more mental health-related calls.
Some types of crimes decreased during the pandemic based on VicPD stats, including sexual assault, impaired driving, and domestic assault.
See also: No spike in domestic abuse police reports in Victoria during lockdown, but experts concerned
It is important to note, however, that experts believe that even in the best of times, people living in abusive households tend to reach out to crisis lines and transition centres more often than they report to police.
With a documented increase in property crimes, including business break and enters and theft from auto, police are reminding people to secure their valuables, and leave nothing in plain sight within a vehicle.
“It is also recommended that you keep track of serial numbers for valuable items, by photograph or other means,” reads a statement from VicPD.
“In the event you are the victim of property crime, a recorded serial number will assist VicPD in retuning recovered stolen property.”
