Crime & safety
Victoria's crime figures come from the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA), which publishes offences recorded by Victoria Police. The table covers 11 common offence types in Colac Otway Shire for the year ending June 2026 (July 2025 to June 2026). Each rate, per 100,000 people, sits next to the Victorian rate. 'vs Victoria' is Colac Otway's rate divided by the Victorian rate: below 1.0 means lower than Victoria, above 1.0 means higher.
New to these terms? Read them in plain English
- Rate per 100,000
- Crime counts adjusted for population, so different-sized places can be compared.
- Recorded incident
- An incident reported to police — not a proven charge or conviction.
Safety at a glance
- Reporting period
- July 2025 to June 2026 (12 months)The CSA's latest release. The next one, for the year ending September 2026, is due on 17 December 2026.
- How Colac Otway compares
- 8 of 11 offence rates below the Victorian rateThree are above: family violence assault (1.36×), sexual offences (1.37×) and other theft (1.20×). Property damage is almost the same as Victoria: 653.3 per 100,000, against 654.3.
- Largest count
- Other theft — 246 offencesFollowed by property damage (145) and steal from a motor vehicle (132).
- How the rates are calculated
- Per 100,000 residentsThe CSA divides each count by the resident population. Offences are counted where they are recorded, but visitors, including the summer visitors on the coast, aren't part of that population.
- Recorded, not convicted
- Offences recorded by Victoria PoliceA recorded offence is not a charge, prosecution or conviction. Counts move with reporting and policing activity as well as with offending.
| Offence | Offences recorded | vs Victoria | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family violence assault | 111 | 500.1 | 368.0 | 1.36× |
| Non-family-violence assault | 56 | 252.3 | 318.6 | 0.79× |
| Sexual offences | 74 | 333.4 | 242.9 | 1.37× |
| Robbery | 2 | 9.0 | 41.0 | 0.22× |
| Residential burglary (break & enter, dwelling) | 73 | 328.9 | 347.3 | 0.95× |
| Non-residential burglary (break & enter, non-dwelling) | 34 | 153.2 | 206.4 | 0.74× |
| Motor vehicle theft | 37 | 166.7 | 434.9 | 0.38× |
| Steal from a motor vehicle | 132 | 594.7 | 1,074.8 | 0.55× |
| Steal from a retail store | 91 | 410.0 | 599.2 | 0.68× |
| Other theft (incl. bicycles) | 246 | 1,108.3 | 920.0 | 1.20× |
| Property damage (incl. graffiti) | 145 | 653.3 | 654.3 | 1.00× |
Recorded offences in Colac Otway Shire, July 2025 to June 2026, with rates per 100,000 population next to the Victorian rate. Source: Crime Statistics Agency (CSA), LGA Recorded Offences (Table 02, LGA 'Colac-Otway') and Victorian Recorded Offences (Table 01), year ending June 2026. 'vs Victoria' = Colac Otway rate ÷ Victorian rate.
These are offences recorded by police, not convictions. We compare Colac Otway with Victoria only: Victoria and NSW count crime differently, so their figures can't be compared. The CSA calculates rates with the Victorian Government's population estimates ('Victoria in Future'), not the ABS figure on the profile page. With about 22,000 residents, each single offence moves a rate by about 4.5 per 100,000, so small counts such as robbery (2) swing a lot from year to year. How CSA offence codes map to the rows above: family violence assault = A211 + A231; non-family-violence assault = A212 + A232; sexual offences = A30; robbery = A51 + A52; residential burglary = B311 + B321; non-residential burglary = B312 + B322; motor vehicle theft = B41; steal from a motor vehicle = B42; steal from a retail store = B43; other theft = B44 + B49; property damage = B21 + B22 + B29. Data © Crime Statistics Agency (CSA), CC BY 4.0.
Sources — check it yourself
- Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) — LGA Recorded Offences, year ending June 2026 (XLSX, Table 02) · Jul 2025 to Jun 2026
- Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) — Victorian Recorded Offences, year ending June 2026 (XLSX, Table 01) · Jul 2025 to Jun 2026
- Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) — Latest Victorian crime data · Updated quarterly
- Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) — Release calendar · Sep 2026
Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.