General News
19 January, 2026
Family violence jumps 8.7%
FAMILY incidents in Loddon towns has jumped for a fourth year and remains above the state average, according to latest data from the Crime Statistics Agency.
Figures for the year ending September were released days before Christmas and show 138 incidents in the Loddon Shire compared with 127 the previous year - a spike of 8.7 per cent.
Data puts family incidents attended by police just below the highs recorded during COVID.
The Loddon jump was also above the state rise of 3.2 per cent with 105,379 incidents recorded across Victoria.
The majority of affected local family members were in the 35-44 and 55-plus age groups.
CSA Chief Statistician Fiona Dowsley said that “the number of family violence serious assault recorded by Victoria Police is at its highest levels since 2016”.
“A key contributor to the increase has been the new choke/strangle/suffocate family member offence, which came into effect in October 2024.” Ms Dowsley said.
An increase of 5.4 per cent was recorded in all criminal incidents in Loddon communities, up 20 to 388 for the year, well below the state average but near the COVID year peaks.
Bridgewater recorded the largest increase in incidents - up from 20 in 2024 to 32 last year.
Wedderburn, Inglewood, Pyramid Hill and Korong Vale all saw a rise in crime.
Most incidents were thefts with vehicles, sheds, streets and footpaths the main targets. Incidents at houses and on farms dropped.
More than half - 55.7 per cent - the rate of recorded offences increased, up nine per cent to 9030.2 per 100,000 Victorians in 12 months, while the number of offences increased 10.8 per cent to 640,860. Property and deception offences had the largest increase in the last 12 months, up 14.2 per cent. or 47,031. The main driver of the increase was theft offences, up 37,676 to 245,975 offences due to Steal from a motor vehicle offences, which increased 18,577 to 86,600 offences in the last 12 months. In the 12 months to September 2025, the number of criminal incidents increased, up 12.3 per cent or 52,780 to 483,313 incidents.