Greater Bendigo posts AusScore of 58 amid elevated offence rates across council area

Greater Bendigo recorded an AusScore of 58 out of 100, earning a C grade in the latest assessment of recorded offences across its 70 suburbs. The population-weighted figure stands at 94.1 offences per 1,000 residents, placing the council 58th among 79 Victorian councils.

The rating draws entirely from government-sourced crime data and reflects a safety-balanced measure that factors in property, person-related and judicial offences. Property and deception offences account for the largest share at 5,151 incidents or 43 per 1,000 residents, still 53 percent above the state median.

Decade-long trends and youth incidents

Over the past ten years property and deception offences per 1,000 residents eased from 46 to 43, down from a peak of 55 in 2025, while person-related offences reached 2,756 or 23 per 1,000 and bail and judicial matters totalled 3,263 or 27 per 1,000. Youth offending incidents involving alleged offenders aged 10 to 17 rose from 3.8 to 5.1 per 1,000 residents after reaching a low of 3.0 in 2019, a 69 percent increase since that point.

Leading suburbs by AusScore include Maiden Gully at 75, Jackass Flat and Marong at 71 each, and Elmore and Strathfieldsaye at 70. Lower-scoring areas such as Bendigo itself, California Gully and Flora Hill sit at 50, while Long Gully and Mandurang South register 49.

Breakdown of latest offences

In the year ending March 2026 the most common property offences were criminal damage with 928 incidents, stealing from retail stores with 862, other theft with 760 and stealing from motor vehicles with 705. Obtain benefit by deception recorded 380 cases.

Residents in lower-scoring suburbs can review detailed suburb reports on the AusBurbs site at ausburbs.com/council/greater-bendigo to compare local figures against the council-wide averages and plan personal safety steps accordingly.