CRIMINAL activity in South Gippsland is up 8.5 per cent from last year, the largest increase seen in property offences, and our smallest towns are not going unscathed by these incidents.
Locals in Poowong have been disappointed and disheartened by deliberate acts of destruction that have occurred within the town recently.
The historical Butter Factory opened in Poowong in 1892 and subsequently closed in 1986 and has sat empty for 38 years without being vandalised until recently when windows were smashed in and the door forced in a shocking break-and-enter.
According to locals, everything inside the building has been smashed, paint has been thrown over everything, and a car has even been driven in and set on fire, in a series of senseless and highly destructive acts.
The damage is so extensive that, “it will need to be demolished,” according to one local, who was not prepared to speak on record, for fear of having their own property targeted.
Other minor incidents in the town have occurred, with the Poowong Pub’s Christmas lights cut, which have since been replaced with no further incidents.
While the hotel owners put it down to kids simply playing a prank, another local also reported having his Christmas lights cut twice now, to the
dismay of the community.
Other minor acts of vandalism such as damage to locks, gates and fences have also been noted by locals, causing headaches for farmers.
While Poowong hasn’t previously been represented in the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) numbers, small towns such as Nyora, Mirboo North and Foster have had relatively high numbers of offences recorded over the last year (from June 2024).
Nyora recorded 158 offences, Mirboo North 70 offences – which is a decrease on the previous year, and Foster 136 offences, alongside our larger towns of Korumburra, recording 582 offences and Leongatha 780 – more than two offences every day.
Property offence was the largest increase in the last 12 months, up 14.4 per cent with 311,963 offences committed in total across Victoria, according to the CSA.
“There has been a 14 per cent increase in property and deception offences recorded in the last 12 months, driven by theft, burglary/break and enter and property damage,” said Fiona Dowsley, Chief Statistician at CSA.
For the year ending June 2024, the total offences recorded in South Gippsland increased by 20.3 per cent up from 1978 to 2379 with 386 of these relating to property damage and theft.
