There were 496,589 criminal offences recorded in Victoria in the twelve months to March 2023, representing an increase of 26,424 offences or 5.6% from the previous year. When population growth is taken into account, overall crime increased by 3.5% (7,349.1 offences per 100,000 people, up from 7,102.3).
Pleasingly, overall crime still remained 9.1% below pre-COVID levels. In the twelve months leading up to March 2020, there were 542,059 criminal offences committed - 45,470 more offences than in the most recent twelve-month reporting period.
Overall crimes against the person increased by 3.2% year-on-year, with crimes such as assaults and dangerous driving offences driving this increase. Pleasingly, offences to reduce included stalking and harassment, rape, and sex offences against children.
Key trends in crimes against the person included:
Assaults
• A rise in assaults was the number one contributor to crimes against the person increasing, with overall assaults increasing 5.1% year-on-year.
• Non-family violence common assaults recorded the sharpest rise (+14.9%), while family violence common assaults (+4.8%), and non-family violence serious assaults (+2.9%) also increased from the year before.
• The location where assaults increased most frequently was in licensed premises, which is not surprising given pubs and clubs were closed for significant periods due to COVID restrictions in the twelve months to the end of March 2022.
• It was encouraging to see decreases in family violence serious assaults (- 3.6%) and assaults against police and other emergency service workers (- 3.5%).
Family violence
• Family violence related offending slightly increased year-on-year (+3.1%). Breaches of family violence orders also rose by 5.5% from the year prior.
• The number of family violence order breaches is significantly higher than pre-pandemic (+16.6% from twelve months to March 2020). This can be partly attributed to a bolstered police response, which first commenced during the pandemic when offenders and victims were confined to the same home for long periods of time - complicating the ability for victims to report abuse. As part of a now entrenched response, specialist police and detectives from 31 Family Violence Investigation Units across the state are proactively knocking on the doors of victims and perpetrators to ensure that offenders know they are being monitored, victims feel supported, and breaches are more easily identified.
Robberies
• Robberies increased by 8.7% year-on-year. Pre-COVID, robberies were a significant concern for police as they were at decade highs. Pleasingly, current robbery rates still remain a significant 36.8% below the levels seen in the twelve months to March 2020.
• Police are determined to keep robberies, which can often lead to great distress for victims, at low levels. Local and specialist police will regularly flood known problem areas to prevent crimes such as robberies from occurring. On average, Victoria Police has also run almost one OMNI Operation per week throughout 2023 to identify and prevent the carriage of weapons around busy community locations such as shopping centres and transport hubs, where we know robberies often occur.
• 15 - 17-year-old offenders most frequently committed robberies, followed by those aged 10 - 14 years old. The majority of robbery victims are also aged between 10 and 17.
Dangerous driving
• Dangerous driving offences rose by 17%. While an increase in these offences is attributable to the significant proactive enforcement undertaken on roads and freeways each day, it remains disappointing that a small number of drivers continue to willingly put themselves and other road users at severe risk of death or a life altering injury. With 145 people losing their lives on Victorian roads already this year, Victoria Police's Road Policing Command and local Highway Patrol Units will continue to focus its energies on getting people home safely. Victoria Police impounded 13,890 vehicles last year. In addition to this, our dedicated anti-hoon operation remains ongoing, with Operation Achilles responsible for hundreds of arrests and car seizures, leading to a dramatic decrease in organised hoon activity in Melbourne.
Overall property and deception offences increased by 9.8%, however remained significantly below pre-pandemic levels (-16.5% from twelve months to end of March 2020). Outside of the pandemic afflicted years of 2020/21, this represents the lowest number of property and deception offences in the past decade.
Key trends in the property and deception category include:
Burglaries
• Overall home burglaries were at their third lowest levels in the past decade, with 6,056 less Victorian homes broken into than pre-pandemic (twelve months to end of March 2020).
• However, a primary focus for police remains an increase in aggravated residential burglaries. There was a 30% increase in this crime type, driven by a predominantly youth cohort sneaking into unlocked homes to steal car keys.
• Burglaries committed by youths aged 10 - 14 increased by 86.7%. The most common age group responsible for committing aggravated home burglaries were youths aged 15 - 17.
• Police intelligence indicates that more than 95% of aggravated burglaries are non-confrontational.
• Victoria Police currently has a dedicated Melbourne-wide operation targeting this offending in place. The operation, which runs on a nightly basis until dawn, sees local police, Highway Patrol, Air Wing, Dog Squad and Public Order Response Team members working together in a wide-scale intelligence led approach.
• Police intelligence indicates this approach is working. Over the past three months, this has led to more than 200 burglars and car thieves being quickly arrested during the night-time operation, often directly after they have offended. Hundreds more are arrested in the days after crimes are committed, as teams of investigators across the state work to bring offenders to justice.
• On top of this, another 522 people have been arrested during the night-time operation for other offences, including drug related matters, due to the sheer number of police out each night.
• In the three months prior to the enhanced police response commencing, there was a weekly average of around 30 burglaries that also led to a car being stolen. In the past three months, this weekly average has dropped to 19 such incidents per week.
• Police will continue targeting those seeking to break into homes and steal cars, however police also implore the community to take simple home security measures, such as locking all doors and windows.
Theft of motor vehicles
• There were more cars stolen over the twelve months to end of March 2023 (+17.9%), which can be heavily attributed to the aforementioned issue of cars being stolen during burglaries. While police are recovering around 80% of all stolen vehicles, we are highly concerned that often inexperienced and underage offenders are driving these high-powered vehicles at reckless speeds. It is for this reason that local uniform police, detectives, and specialist units including the Air Wing and Dog Squad are working throughout the evening to identify stolen vehicles and get dangerous offenders off our roads.
• There was a 11.2% decrease in overall carjackings (246, down from 277), the lowest number of carjackings since 2018. Of the 246 carjackings committed, 75 were attempts only and not successfully carried out.
Youth offending
• Youths aged 10 - 14 were responsible for 6,418 incidents - an increase of 44.6%.
• Offenders aged 10 - 24 were responsible for 45,786 incidents - an increase of 8.4% year-on-year. Overall offending in this age group remains below the levels seen in the twelve months immediately leading into the pandemic.
• Victoria's most serious and violent youth offenders are being targeted as part of Operation Alliance to prevent harm to the community. In the past twelve months, Alliance has led to the arrest of 448 youth gang members a combined 1,536 times. 3,400 charges have been laid in relation to these matters. Police are having success diverting young people away from gangs, with 137 less youth gang members on the police watchlist than when Alliance commenced in September 2020 (610, down from 747).
Drug offences
• Overall drug related offending is starting to gradually trend upwards, increasing by 4.6%. Dealing/trafficking (+ 4.9%), cultivate/manufacture (+6.7%), and use/possess (+3.9%) all increased.
• These numbers reflect Victoria Police's focus on the drug dealers, suppliers, manufacturers, and substances causing the most harm. Recent investigations of note include:
o In February, detectives from the Clandestine Laboratory squad uncovered one of the biggest drug labs in Victorian history. VIPER Taskforce, ICARUS, and the Joint Organised Taskforce executed a series of warrants, locating an industrial sized clandestine laboratory at a Braeside property, as well as a second large scale clandestine laboratory. Two men were charged with a range of offences, including traffick large commercial quantity methylamphetamine.
o In April, Echo Taskforce detectives and the Australian Federal Police charged five men as part of a targeted investigation into drug trafficking linked to the Rebels Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMCG). Of note was the arrest of a 26-year-old Mernda man, believed to be an associate of the Rebels OMCG, who was charged with trafficking a commercial quantity and procuring a child for trafficking controlled drugs. It is believed this is the first time the Commonwealth charge of procuring a child for trafficking controlled drugs has been used in Australia. It will be alleged the Mernda man coerced his nephew, 14, into acting as a drug courier for the syndicate.
o In May, Darebin Crime Investigation Unit detectives arrested seven people and seized $1 million of heroin, methylamphetamine, cocaine, GHB and amphetamine. $50,000 cash, five cars, high-end watches, designer handbags, money laundering equipment, and a loaded handgun were also seized. Two of those arrested were charged with trafficking a large commercial quantity of a drug of dependence. The investigation commenced in January 2023 targeting the distribution of heroin and methylamphetamine in the northern suburbs.
• As investigations of this nature continue and with nightlife precincts and events such as festivals back underway, police anticipate these figures will continue to trend upwards.
Quotes attributed to Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Rick Nugent
"Overall crime in Victoria is gradually increasing from the low levels of 2020/21, however still remains more than 9% below pre-COVID levels.
"Serious offences including family violence serious assaults, rape, sex offences against children, and stalking and harassment all recorded reductions.
"While this is positive, there are clearly a number of areas of concern that police are investing significant energy and resources towards.
"Every single night, we have significant numbers of local police working alongside the Air Wing, Dog Squad and Public Order Response Team until dawn to prevent burglaries and car thefts from occurring.
"As part of this Melbourne-wide operation, over the past three months we have arrested more than 200 burglars and car thieves during the night alone.
"Our intelligence is telling us there has been a decrease in burglaries and associated car thefts since the operation commenced, however we will not let up.
"In some parts of Melbourne, up to 70% of homes broken into are unlocked, so we also implore the community to take simple measures such as looking all doors, windows, and gates to help foil opportunistic thieves.
"Serious and violent youth crime is another ongoing focus, with Operation Alliance leading to the arrest of around 450 youth gang members a combined total of more than 1,500 times over the past year.
"Youth gangs remain an issue, however our intense focus on disrupting and dismantling these gangs is reaping benefits.
"In the past few years, we have reduced the number of serious and violent youth gang members on our watchlist, with 137 less known youth gang members in Victoria than when Operation Alliance commenced in September 2020"
"A horror 2023 on Victorian roads is another major concern with 145 lives lost as of today, up 39 on the same time last year.
"Reckless drivers are firmly in the sights of local and state Highway Patrol units who continue to run targeted and intelligence led operations to reduce the likelihood of further trauma on our roads."
