Councillor Anderson said he was disappointed the state’s latest crime statistics showed an increased in property damage, with 1381 incidents in 2017 compared to 952 in 2016.

“Sadly, some people have no respect for other people’s property,” Cr Anderson said.

He said he was disappointed by the recent graffiti attack at South West TAFE, which was an act of senseless vandalism.

Cr Anderson urged members of the public to be on alert and report any suspicious behaviour to police.

He reminded offenders that they were under the watchful eye of police in the CBD through the city’s CCTV cameras.

Assaults in Warrnambool decreased slightly from 1073 in 2017 to 1029 in 2016.

Cr Anderson said police had reported the presence of cameras outside nightspots had acted as deterrents.

“I think generally the incidents outside pubs and clubs have decreased – the CCTV cameras help a lot,” he said.

The number of break and enters in the city decreased from 938 in 2016 to 796 in 2017.

Theft slightly increased in the Southern Grampians Shire, with 1717 incidents in 2017 compared to 1587 in 2016, while Corangamite Shire had a similar result, with a drop from 1690 to 1560 in 2017.

The number of thefts in Glenelg Shire also dropped, with 2274 incidents in 2016 and only 1723 in 2017.

The number of property damage incidents was slightly up in Moyne Shire, with 44 in 422 in 207 compared to 361 in 2016.

Across the state, the number of crimes committed decreased by 10 per cent.

Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville said it was the biggest drop in crime in 12 years.

“With more police on the beat than ever before, the relentless work of Victoria Police is starting to make progress,” Ms Neville tweeted.

But Ms Neville said there were still too many victims of crime.