ASSAULTS, drug offences and car thefts have risen across the Mornington Peninsula in the 12 months to March, according to the latest police crime figures.

While crimes against people were up by 26 per cent, burglaries, theft from cars and property damage were all down.

Acting Inspector Paul Cripps said the crime statistics were “a mixed bag”.

“Of particular concern to police are crimes of violence such as assaults and family violence, which increased during the past 12 months.”

Inspector Cripps said a team had been set up to investigate family violence, the biggest single assault offence.

He said team members would “specifically target recidivist offenders and repeat victims to ensure that those people are dealt with efficiently, and referred to relevant support agencies where appropriate to provide long-term ongoing support and assistance”.

He said property crimes had decreased 19.7 per cent and theft from vehicles had dropped 7.6 per cent along with smaller reductions in residential burglaries.

A 15.6 per cent drop in detected drug offences showed “how successful police have been over the previous year in taking drugs off the streets”.

“I am also pleased to say that many people continue to follow our advice in regard to locking their vehicles,” Inspector Cripps said. “Vehicle-related offences are primarily opportunistic and unfortunately they often occur because vehicle owners do not lock their cars and leave valuables in clear view.”

He said fatal and serious injury vehicle collisions had decreased and “traffic police continued to be tasked to concentrate on recidivist traffic offenders and traffic hot spots”.

“Mornington Peninsula police will not tolerate people who drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs or engage in hoon behaviour.

“This anti-social behaviour will continue to be a focus of police efforts so the community can travel to and through the peninsula safely.”