ELEANOR HALL: A study conducted in the years since the 2009 Victorian bushfires has found that half all crimes, including arson and family violence, are not being reported.
This is despite the more than 2,000 people interviewed being in communities experiencing high levels of crime.
A doctor involved in the research says the findings are alarming, as Stephanie Corsetti reports.
STEPHANIE CORSETTI: The researchers have interviewed more than 2,000 Victorians since the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 asking about their views on arson and other crimes.
Their latest findings show half of all crimes are not being reported to authorities.
Paul Read, a senior research fellow from Monash University explains why.
PAUL READ: People are extremely stressed. I think 90 per cent of the population are affected by one or more background social problems and those sorts of issues range from not having enough money for food through to homelessness.
STEPHANIE CORSETTI: Researchers asked participants about crimes they had suffered and compared that to how many had actually been reported.
In the last 12 months, half of those interviewed were victims of crime.
The results further show 62 per cent of sexual assaults and family violence are not being reported.
The Murrindindi Shire north-east of Melbourne, and Victoria's Surf Coast were listed as problem areas for sexual assault.
Dr Janet Stanley from the University of Melbourne who helped prepare the paper says many factors are at play.
JANET STANLEY: If you fix things like family violence, you're also going to help a whole lot of other problems, but of course it needs more resources.
General disadvantage and why people get in this disadvantaged situation needs to be addressed.
STEPHANIE CORSETTI: The Victorian Government is spending more than $500 million over two years to tackle family violence.
Researchers hope that will go some way towards lowering crime rates.
Dr Read is worried there's a lack of research about arson, despite it being a growing concern.
PAUL READ: Now we know that arsonists are very versatile criminals. They're not just fire lighters. They're usually people who have been convicted, not for fire lighting in the past but for violence, drug and substance abuse.
STEPHANIE CORSETTI: Dr Read hopes this research will pave the way for future studies within Australia and abroad.
PAUL READ: So it's a world first at multiple levels - the number of papers on arson, zero, the number of papers on alternative reporting pathways, zero.
In other senses, we also, in the work with Crime Stoppers since Black Saturday, we've probably laid the foundations for many of the international findings and new theories that are coming out.
STEPHANIE CORSETTI: The team will present the findings at the Safe Cities conference later this year.
ELEANOR HALL: Stephanie Corsetti reporting.
