Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes.Credit:AAP
“[It’s] something that in the future I think we should be talking about,but it’s not the right time,” he said. “Right now we’ve got an increase in crimes in that 10 to 14-year cohort.”
On Wednesday,Symes told the ABC there had been no policy change.
“Our commitment is raising to 12 this year,with a commitment to raise to 14 – subject to the development of an alternative service model and a consideration of whether there’s serious offences that you would exclude from the criminal responsibility changes,” Symes said.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines said the rise in youth crime identified in the new statistics was similar to increases in other states.
“The Allan government’s No.1 priority is community safety,” he said,citing recent legislation to strengthen a prohibition on children having machetes and to confiscate assets of organised criminals.
“There’s always more to do. And we will provide every resource and effort that Victoria Police need for the work they do to hold perpetrators to account.”
Police said last year’s true overall crime rate – which factors in Victoria’s population growth – was 7698.2 offences per 100,000 people. That’s up 5.6 per cent from 2022,but is still 6.1 per cent lower than in 2019.
“Crime in Victoria has gradually increased over the past few years as Victorian life has returned to normality post-pandemic,” Paterson said.
Crime Statistics Agency chief statistician Fiona Dowsley said increases in high-volume property and deception offences – particularly thefts from motor vehicles and retail stores – drove the continued uptick in overall crime.
“An increase in these acquisitive offence types reflects in part a return to pre-pandemic trends,but also is in line with current cost-of-living pressures,” she said.