A SPIKE in family violence reports late last year reflects a community that has grown more comfortable in reporting family crime, according to local police.

Wangaratta and surrounds saw 248.6 family violence protective order offences per 100,000 people in September last year, while the Hume region overall saw a 5.7 per cent increase in reports of family violence throughout the year.

Detective Senior Sergeant Damien Peppler from Wangaratta police said that addressing the support networks for family violence survivors had been an important step in cr...