The latest crime figures are a wake-up call regional Victorians didn’t need because we’ve been living it for years.
The Crime Statistics Agency’s figures for the year ending June 2026 show regional Victoria accounts for 13 of the 14 worst areas in the state for alleged offenders. Latrobe City now has more criminal incidents per capita than anywhere in Victoria outside Melbourne, and Northern Grampians has seen alleged offender incidents jump 46.1 per cent in just 12 months.
These aren’t just numbers. They represent real fear in communities that have been crying out for a proper police presence for over a decade, only to be met with indifference from Labor.
The four highest-ranked local government areas for alleged offenders are all in regional areas – Latrobe, Northern Grampians, East Gippsland and Mildura.
While the Premier and Police Minister spruik statewide figures, criminals are running rampant across regional Victoria. That tells you exactly that Labor’s priorities lie solely in metropolitan Melbourne, not the regions.
An elected Liberal and Nationals Government will recruit 3000 additional police, strengthen bail laws to keep serious repeat offenders off our streets, deliver tougher consequences for violent offenders, and guarantee regional Victoria its fair share, including 25 per cent of infrastructure spending.
Regional Victorians deserve to feel safe in their own communities. Only The Nationals and Liberals will deliver that.
Danny O’Brien
Leader of The Nationals
Leader of The Nationals
