New insurance figures reveal that Victoria has become Australia's car theft capital for the second consecutive year, with a vehicle being stolen or broken into every 43 minutes.
In the last financial year, insurance claims for vehicle and property theft in Victoria reached $244 million and $56 million respectively, according to data released by the Insurance Council of Australia. These figures represent 12,300 car theft claims and 3,900 property theft claims.
The data indicates that a home is broken into approximately every two hours in the state. Although property theft claims and their associated costs have decreased from the previous financial year, Victoria still recorded significantly more claims than Queensland, which ranked second with 2,300 claims valued at $31 million.
Motor theft claim costs, however, saw an increase, rising from $233 million to $244 million over the same period.
Insurance Council chief executive Andrew Hall stated that the data highlights a significant crime problem in Victoria, impacting households, businesses, and communities. "The figures equated to 'a car being stolen or broken into every 43 minutes and a home being broken into every two hours', according to the council," the report stated.
With an upcoming state election, Opposition Leader Jess Wilson criticized the current government's handling of crime, promising to recruit 3,000 additional police officers and enhance crime laws if elected. "Labor's crime crisis is fuelling cost-of-living pressures – with record levels of offending flowing through to higher insurance premiums for all Victorians," Wilson said.
A spokesperson for the Victorian government countered these claims, asserting that the decline in certain incidents demonstrates their effective approach to crime. "There's more work to do to keep the community safe, but we can already see our tougher laws are working, as evidenced by the insurance data provided, which shows drops in home theft and burglary claims and costs last financial year," the spokesperson said. The government also highlighted its funding for Victoria Police to hire 400 police reservists.
The government spokesperson added that the Labor administration is committed to public safety, having implemented measures such as adult time for offenses and toughened bail laws, while also increasing police powers.