Criminal incidents have risen by 1.5 per cent in Greater Geelong over the last year.
Criminal damage and retail theft are among the offences on the rise, while there has been a drop in theft from cars locally.
However, there has been a drop of 1.7 per cent in the same time on the Surf Coast.
Victoria’s crime rate rose 4.2per cent in the 12-months to December.
Police say car theft has reached its highest levels since 2001, with more than 32,000 vehicles stolen.
They say the number of offences committed by children also increased, with over 1,200 young people arrested in the last year.
Retail theft has also increased, while officers have held operations at shopping centers including Pacific Werribee.
Deputy Commission Bob Hill said too many innocent people were being hurt.
“This is simply not acceptable as we want Victorians to not only be safe but feel safe in their community,” he said.
“This has occurred at a time when Victoria Police has also dedicated significant resources towards managing rolling major protests, bushfires, floods, and regular major events.
“We are also in the process of rolling out significant organisational changes that are geared towards having more police in the community preventing crime.”
