VIOLENT crime is at a record high in Maribyrnong, with a dramatic increase in the number of robbery and armed burglary offences, statistics show.

Provisional crime statistics for Police Region 2, an area that includes Maribyrnong, Melton, Brimbank and Hobsons Bay, and leaked to the State Opposition, reveal a worrying rise in 16 out of a total 27 crime categories defined by police.

Theft from motor vehicles has jumped by 25 per cent, with 10,754 offences reported for the region in the past year.

Armed robbery was also on the rise, recording a significant 17 per cent jump on previous figures.

Robberies in general rose by 12.5 per cent, aggravated burglary was up 11.9 per cent, car theft was up 12.6 per cent and harassment by 11.3 per cent.

Overall 80,743 offences were recorded, a 2.4 per cent increase in the past 12 months.

Inspector Ian Geddes, of the Footscray Crime Investigation Unit, said he was not surprised by the statistics.

He said his unit had witnessed an increase in armed robbery offences in the municipality.

“On average, we probably have one or two a week across the space of a year in Maribyrnong. I think that in the month of June, we charged 56 offenders with robbery and armed robbery offences across this division … so it is something we’re targeting.

“We’re finding that we don’t get many repeat offenders and we’re endeavouring to find out what some of the factors are that are causing people to commit these offences.”

Inspector Geddes said his unit had increased manpower in its robbery taskforce to tackle the problem.

He said it was difficult to determine why these crimes were on the rise, but suggested criminals were more opportunistic than in the past.

“I think it’s because of the ease of committing these offences and that people now tend to carry, especially young people, valuable items with them, like lap tops, mobile phones, ipods, things like that. They’re a lot of the property types we find stolen in this particular type of offence.”

Inspector Geddes said people should avoid making themselves potential targets by travelling in pairs and leaving valuable property at home.

Police are investigating the leak, which saw the statistics published weeks ahead of their scheduled release later this month.