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This fact sheet provides information about Community Safety in the City of Whitehorse.
Safety
Perceptions of Safety were measured in the 2015 VicHealth Indicators Survey. Respondents were asked to rate how safe they felt when walking alone in their local area during the day and at night.
When walking alone during the day in their local area, 96.3 per cent of persons living in Whitehorse felt safe or very safe, compared to 94.9 per cent in the Inner Metropolitan Region and the Victorian State average of 92.5 per cent. Males in Whitehorse were more likely to feel safe than females (98.8 per cent vs. 93.9 per cent).
When walking alone at night 56.8 per cent of persons in Whitehorse felt safe or very safe, compared to 64.8 per cent in the Inner Metro Region and the Victorian State average of 55.1 per cent. Males in Whitehorse were much more likely to feel safe than females (79.5 per cent vs. 36.1 per cent).
Respondents who stated that they were never alone in the particular situation were not asked to give their perception of how safe they felt and were excluded from the calculation of proportions.
Community Safety
Crime
Crime statistics are produced annually by the Crime Statistics Agency on behalf of Victoria Police. Summaries of offences are reported per 100,000 of the population to enable comparisons across different areas. Offences against the person in Whitehorse are lower than the Eastern Metropolitan and State averages, while offences against property are higher than the Eastern Metropolitan average and lower than the State average.
In Whitehorse there were 513 recorded crimes against the person per 100,000 population in 2020, compared to 571 in the Eastern Metropolitan Region and the Victorian State average of 969.
In Whitehorse, there were 2,574 recorded crimes against property per 100,000 population in 2020, compared to 2,520 in the Eastern Metropolitan Region and the Victorian State average of 3,115.
Family Violence
Family violence is a significant social, economic and health problem. Family violence is predominantly perpetrated by men against women; however, it affects people throughout the community regardless of gender, age, sexuality, cultural background and socioeconomic class. Violence against women is the leading contributor to death, disability and illness in Victorian women aged 15-44 years, contributing 9 per cent to the total disease burden.
| Family incident rate per 100,000 population (July – June) | ||||||
| LGA | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | % change 2015/16 – 2019/20 |
| Boroondara | 466.5 | 443.0 | 441.6 | 465.1 | 515.1 | 10.4% |
| Knox | 1090.1 | 996.1 | 972.4 | 1045.4 | 1156.3 | 6.1% |
| Manningham | 640.5 | 580.2 | 565.6 | 561.2 | 593.7 | -7.3% |
| Maroondah | 1054.9 | 947.4 | 868.9 | 974.2 | 1091.1 | 3.4% |
| Monash | 699.3 | 706.9 | 626.8 | 693.1 | 710.4 | 1.6% |
| Whitehorse | 629.0 | 605.4 | 607.0 | 665.8 | 723.9 | 15.1% |
| Yarra Ranges | 1052.7 | 954.3 | 1007.1 | 1005.9 | 1116.6 | 6.1% |
| Victoria | 1263.3 | 1209.8 | 1177.5 | 1253.0 | 1315.4 | 4.1% |
Source: Crime Statistics Agency (2021), Family Violence Data Portal
On average 25 incidents of family violence in Whitehorse were reported to police every week throughout 2019/20. The rate of family violence incidents in Victoria per 100,000 of the population was 1.8 times that of Whitehorse in 2019/20, at 1,315.4 and 723.9 respectively.
Access to Packaged Liquor
Table 2 presents the per capita rate of packaged liquor outlets (per 100,000 of the population) in the Eastern Metropolitan Region between 2001 and 2016. The per capita rate of packaged liquor outlets in the City of Whitehorse has fluctuated over the years, resulting in an overall 10.5 per cent increase. This is the third highest rate increase in the Eastern Region, behind Knox and Manningham which experienced sharp increases in the raw number of outlets in the context of steadily increasing populations (50.3 per cent and 31.7 per cent respectively).
| Local Government Area | 2001 | 2006 | 2011 | 2016 | Change in Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boroondara | 29.3 | 36.5 | 33.7 | 29.8 | 1.7% |
| Knox | 17.6 | 25.4 | 26.5 | 27.0 | 53.0% |
| Manningham | 18.4 | 24.7 | 24.9 | 24.3 | 31.7% |
| Maroondah | 23.9 | 30.7 | 25.3 | 25.8 | 7.9% |
| Monash | 23.3 | 26.7 | 25.6 | 24.6 | 5.4% |
| Whitehorse | 25.2 | 23.1 | 24.8 | 27.8 | 10.5% |
| Yarra Ranges | 31.6 | 37.1 | 33.7 | 34.5 | 9.3% |
Source: Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (2017), School of Psychology and Public Health, Packaged Liquor in Victoria: 2001 to 2016
Alcohol Consumption
The Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol specify the risks of alcohol related harm by level of alcohol consumption. Lifetime risk of alcohol-related harm was measured in the 2017 Victorian Population Health Survey. Lifetime risk attempts to measure the risks associated with developing an illness such as cirrhosis of the liver, cognitive problems, various cancers and alcohol dependence.
| Local Government Area | Increased lifetime risk | Increased risk from a single occasion |
|---|---|---|
| Boroondara | 66.2 | 45.0 |
| Knox | 60.3 | 44.9 |
| Manningham | 55.4 | 38.4 |
| Maroondah | 62.8 | 46.7 |
| Monash | 45.1 | 28.6 |
| Whitehorse | 55.3 | 39.1 |
| Yarra Ranges | 66.6 | 49.6 |
| Inner Eastern Melbourne Area | 55.2 | 37.4 |
| Victoria | 59.5 | 43.0 |
Source: Department of Health and Human Services (2019), Victorian Population Health Survey 2017
Whitehorse has a lower proportion of adults at risk of alcohol-related injury on a single occasion (39.1 per cent) than the Victorian (43.0 per cent) average. Whitehorse also recorded a lower percentage of adults with an increased lifetime risk of alcohol-related harm (55.3), compared to the Victorian average (59.5).
Car Crash Statistics
Data from VicRoads shows that between 2014 and 2018, there were 1,296 crashes where at least one person was killed or injured in Whitehorse. Of the 1,296 crashes, 15 people were killed, 349 people were seriously injured and 1,728 people sustained minor injuries. The overall death rate has fluctuated between 0.6 and 1.8.
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