There were 630,592 criminal offences recorded in Victoria last year - an increase of 25,250 offences or 4.2%.
The crime rate, which factors in population growth, rose by 2.4% (8,885.5 offences per 100,000 people).
Victoria Police analysis suggests positive signs are beginning to emerge, with overall crime starting to stabilise after several years of sharp increases.
However, the same analysis forecasts any major reduction in overall crime is unlikely to be imminent, given ongoing issues such as the cost of living, recidivism, and the increased use of technology in offending.
For example, theft from motor vehicle, theft of motor vehicle, retail theft, and theft other currently account for a third of all criminal offending. With the challenging financial environment, there are no indications these crimes, which heavily impact the overall crime rate, will reduce.
Victoria Police arrested 26,645 people a total of 78,014 times last year, with a more focussed approach directed towards those committing serious and violent crimes.
This included the arrest of four youth gang members each day, the seizure of a record 17,400 knives and machetes, and record family violence arrests that saw one offender arrested every half hour.
Victoria Police is also undertaking significant organisational change to increase the amount of time police officers are spending in the community preventing crime in the first place. This includes releasing officers from administrative duties such as staffing reception counters, as well as enhancing the technology supporting police.
Over the past year, Victoria Police commenced enhancing the use of Body Worn Cameras, with interviews now able to be conducted at the arrest location in the community - rather than the time-consuming process of conveying offenders to police stations. A new mobile app will also start to be used by frontline police in the middle of this year, allowing officers to charge and bail lower-level offenders at the point of detection, rather than in a police station. It's estimated the new process, which is set to be rolled out statewide from September, will save more than three hours of police time on each occasion or the equivalent of 53,000 policing hours per year.
This initiative is one of many that Victoria Police continues to progress - to deploy police officers where they are needed - in the right place at the right time within the community, deterring criminal behaviour and preventing crime.
KEY CRIME THEMES
Car theft
- Car theft has reached its highest levels in a calendar year since 2001, with over 32,000 cars stolen last year.
- The number of cars being stolen has escalated markedly over the past three years, rising by 96.9%.
- This has directly coincided with a surge in car thieves using key mimicking or cloning technology to override car security systems, with Victoria Police intelligence suggesting between 30% and 40% of all cars are now stolen in this manner.
- Last year, police seized around 800 of these devices during search warrants where offenders were set to be charged for stealing vehicles or when suspicious cars were intercepted.
- Intelligence indicates the most stolen vehicles using key cloning devices include Holden Commodores, Toyotas (Land Cruiser, Corolla, Hilux, Rav4) and Subaru Imprezas.
- Police urge owners of these vehicles to look at a range of preventative measures to help deter thieves, including an on-board diagnostic port lock, parking your car off the street, and locking all doors and windows.
Retail theft
- There were 41,547 retail theft offences last year - an increase of 2,393 offences or 6.1%.
- In December, Victoria Police launched a major operation deploying officers and PSOs to Melbourne's biggest shopping centres, following rising shop theft, anti-social behaviour, and aggression towards retailers.
- As part of Operation Pulse, police have arrested almost 710 people and laid over 1,450 charges for crimes committed at Eastland, Fountain Gate, Highpoint, Northland, Bayside, Werribee, Southland or Watergardens.
- Those arrested include prolific shop lifters, offenders carrying weapons, and criminals in stolen cars in shopping centre carparks.
- The operation, which has been extended until the end of 2026, has also proved instrumental in preventing crime, including planned fights between youth gangs in shopping centre food courts and surrounding public transport hubs.
- Aggravated home burglaries reduced for the first time since 2020, falling by 4.1% (7,151 offences, down from 7,458).
- While this is positive, aggravated burglaries remain at the second highest levels in history, with significant ongoing police work required to achieve sustainable reductions in home break-ins.
- Operation Trinity, which is Victoria Police's largest operation targeting home burglaries, has a strong focus on preventing break-ins in the first place.
- Each night across Melbourne, suspect cars are pulled over, known suburban hotspots are patrolled, and offender homes are monitored as part of this operation.
- When burglaries can't be prevented, swift enforcement occurs. Trinity led to the arrest of 612 burglars a combined 1,436 times last year.
Child offending
- Overall offences committed by child offenders increased (23,690 offender incidents, up 2.3%).
- During this reporting period, Victoria Police arrested 1,223 children a combined 6,997 times.
- Children committed 57.6% of carjackings, 52.6% of home invasions, 47.8% of aggravated burglaries and 62.4% of robberies.
- Youth gang members are most commonly responsible for these crimes, with Victoria Police making 1,480 gang related arrests and laying 4,300 charges last year as part of Operation Alliance.
- In addition to arrests, Victoria Police continues to work with key stakeholders across a range of sectors including education, employment, health, and corrections to prevent young people from becoming entrenched in the criminal justice system.
Quotes attributable to Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Bob Hill
"While it's heartening that crime appears to be stabilising, it will take time before offending reduces to levels more traditionally seen in Victoria.
"With 230,213 different victims of crime, we are seeing far too many innocent community members harmed.
"This is simply not acceptable as we want Victorians to not only be safe but feel safe in their community.
"Our officers are remarkably efficient at holding prolific and dangerous offenders accountable, with thousands of youth gang arrests, record knife seizures, and family violence offenders locked up every half hour.
"This has occurred at a time when Victoria Police has also dedicated significant resources towards managing rolling major protests, bushfires, floods, and regular major events.
"We are also in the process of rolling out significant organisational changes that are geared towards having more police in the community preventing crime.
"This includes transferring administrative duties performed by officers to non-sworn staff, as well as delivering technological advancements that allow police to conduct everyday tasks, such as interviewing and charging offenders, while on the road."
