The City of Ballarat joined high-level talks with newly appointed Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush this week along with fellow Regional Cities Victoria members, pressing for stronger collaboration to tackle rising crime and community safety concerns across regional Victoria.
The virtual meeting on Thursday gave each RCV member council the opportunity to directly brief the Chief Commissioner on local safety concerns including the sharp rise in youth crime and persistent anti-social behaviour in public places.
City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves said it was a timely meeting falling within Ballarat Community Safety Month. The meeting was a critical opportunity to put regional safety issues front and centre of Victoria Police's agenda.
"I've had increasing community safety issues raised with me with local crime statistics showing an 11.2% increase in the year ending June 2025. Residents are rightly concerned, and councils are stepping up with local prevention programs, but we want to ensure police resourcing matches what's happening on the ground."
"As part of the roundtable with Regional Cities Victoria, I had the chance to speak directly with Victoria's new Police Chief Commissioner about what's happening here in the City of Ballarat, from anti-social behaviour around Little Bridge Street through to the challenges of gendered violence and homelessness."
"We talked about how councils and police can work together to make our community safer. It's about partnership, prevention and presence and making sure our residents see action where it counts."
Cr Tracey Hargreaves welcomed the Chief Commissioner's commitment to engage with regional leaders and looks forward to productive discussions that ensure regional voices shape Victoria's law-and-order priorities.
"Regional cities and Victoria Police both want the same thing - safer communities. By working together with the Chief Commissioner, we want to prevent crime before it happens and rebuild community confidence across our city."
This initiative aligns with the City of Ballarat's 2025-2029 Council Plan goal of achieving a healthy, safe, connected and welcoming community for all.
