Regional areas are not immune to Daniel Andrews soft approach to law and order Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell says.
Latest figures from the Crime Statistics Agency show crime has risen 20 percent for the year ending March 2017.
The statistics for March 2016 to March 2017 show Assaults and related offences are up 54%, Property Damage is up 20%, Burglary/Break and Enter is up 23%, Theft is up 22.3%, Drug Dealing and Trafficking is up 53.8 percent.
In the two and a half years Daniel Andrews has been Premier, crime rates in Warrnambool have risen 22.3 per cent.
“What these figures show is regional Victoria is not exempt from the crime wave that is sweeping Victoria,” Mrs Britnell said.
“Our police are doing a fantastic job detecting and dealing with crime – these figures reflect that. But there are more crimes being committed.
“Police need increased resources – not just in the city but also in regional areas – to be able to do what they do best, keeping our community safe.
“A Liberal Nationals Government will introduce tough mandatory sentencing for serious crimes and tougher conditions for bail and parole.
“Daniel Andrews’ soft approach to crime is not working. We need to get tough to protect our communities from this growing crime problem.”
