Public confidence and satisfaction with the police fell dramatically after Jacinta Allan became premier and her Labor Government weakened the bail laws, according to a new analysis.
The Premier's polling-induced conversion to fighting crime this week is a cynical ploy that won't undo the damage caused by Labor's soft on crime approach.
An analysis of Victoria Police annual reports from 2013-14 (the year before Dan Andrews' Labor Government was elected) to 2024-25 has revealed the scale of the crime crisis under Jacinta Allan.
Victoria Police reported a record 638,640 criminal offences in 2024-25 - 204,922 more than when Labor was elected and 130,000 more offences than the average across 11 previous years of police data.
Since Labor was elected:
- Total offences have increased 47.2 per cent to 638,640
- Crimes against people increased 63.4 per cent, from 59,907 to 97,890
- Property and deception offences are up 38.3 per cent to 378,050
Public confidence in the police averaged 82.5 per cent of the population annually from 2013-14 to 2022-23, falling to 61.9 per cent in 2023-24, the year Allan became premier and passed weaker bail laws.
Confidence fell even further to 58.8 per cent in 2024-25, the lowest confidence levels the public has held in Victoria Police, and corresponding with Labor's current crime crisis.
Public satisfaction with police fell to just 55 per cent of the population in the year Allan became premier, and 52.3 per cent the following year. Down from an average of 76.5 per cent over ten years.
Victorian Opposition leader Brad Battin said: "Jacinta Allan is weak on crime and Victorians are paying the price.
"Her government softened the bail laws. She promised to stop violent protests but has just put forward weak anti-mask laws.
"Jacinta Allan's government has no plan to fix the crime crisis, that's why this week was big on posters and photo ops but short on detail. They don't believe in what they're doing and their long track record of being weak on crime is the proof.
"We will introduce Break bail, face jail, and Jack's Law, to arm police and PSOs with the tools to take knives off the criminals.
"When a crime is committed, the sentence will fit, and the punishment will be real.
"We will also offer young people an alternative to a life of crime through work, education, and community connection.
"It's time for a fresh start with a Liberal and Nationals Government that will act on crime."
Shadow Police Minister David Southwick said: "Victoria is 2,000 police short, with stations forced to close or cut hours and crimes going unsolved. No wonder the public are unhappy.
"This is a clear vote of no confidence in a government that's allowed the crime crisis to spiral out of control under their watch.
"Labor weakened bail laws, closed prisons, lifted the age of criminal responsibility and cut early intervention programs. Now they want Victorians to believe they can fix the youth crime crisis they created. They are completely out of their depth.
"After ten years of Labor failure, you can't trust the same people who created the problem to fix it. The only way to make our communities safe again is to change the government and restore strong leadership that backs police and protects Victorians."
