Victoria Police have confiscated a record 15,010 knives, machetes, and other edged weapons so far this year, the highest annual figure since data collection began.
The tally amounts to an average of 47 weapons taken off the streets every day in 2025, surpassing last year’s total of 14,808 seizures.
Police say they are now on pace to remove 50 percent more knives than a decade ago.
Most of the seized weapons have been uncovered during targeted search warrants on known offenders, with many taken from homes. Police are also intercepting knives through proactive patrols, vehicle stops and bail compliance checks.
A major focus remains on youth gangs under Operation Alliance, with officers concentrating on locations where groups are known to gather.
Knife-related incidents, including two stabbings in Melbourne’s CBD, a Broadmeadows brawl, and residents being confronted by armed intruders, have intensified community fears.
Victoria Police has responded with an increased tempo of OMNI operations, which are designated police weapons-search operations carried out in public places such as transport hubs, shopping centres and nightlife areas.
The force has already conducted 39 OMNI operations this year, seizing 129 edged weapons ranging from machetes to improvised knives.
Gangs, Homes Targeted
Police say many weapons originate from residential addresses where targeted warrants uncover stockpiles held by known offenders.Others are discovered during patrols of hotspot areas, where youth gang members are most likely to offend.
Authorities say the search-and-seizure strategy is vital to preventing violence, with proactive patrols and weapons checks aimed at catching offenders before they strike.
Chief Commissioner Mike Bush acknowledged the public’s growing unease.
“I am acutely aware of how much concern knife crime generates in the Victorian community, with multiple recent incidents striking at the heart of how safe people are and how safe people feel,” he said.
Crime Rates Climb Statewide
The weapon seizures coincide with a broader upswing in crime across Victoria.Latest figures from the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) released in September 2025 show the state recorded its highest number of offences since records began in 2004–05.
Total offences rose 15.7 percent to 638,640—or nearly 9,000 offences per 100,000 people—driven largely by property and deception crimes. Those categories jumped 21.2 percent to 378,050 incidents.
Theft accounted for more than half the increase, including a dramatic rise in motor vehicle thefts, which climbed by 24,409 cases to reach 86,351.
For the first time, the CSA has also reported bail statistics, revealing applications to the Magistrates’ Court increased 18.4 percent amid more refusals and revocations. Youth Justice data shows unsentenced receptions climbed 35 percent, though remain below the pandemic-era peak in 2020.
