Volume of Criminal Incidents in Victoria Surges 20 Percent in 12 Months: Report

Theft was up 39 percent, and car crime was up 47 percent.

Machetes on display during an announcement at Victoria Police Headquarters in Melbourne, Australia on March 13, 2025. AAP Image/James Ross

Victoria is in the grip of its worst crime surge in decades, with new figures showing criminal incidents soaring to record highs.

In the 12 months to March 31, 2025, Victoria Police recorded 474,937 criminal incidents—up 20.1 percent from the previous year—while total offences jumped 17.1 percent to 627,268. When adjusted for population growth, the crime rate rose 15.2 percent.

These are the highest figures recorded since the Crime Statistics Agency began publishing data two decades ago.

Alleged offender incidents surged 19.4 percent to 193,565, and personal victim reports rose 20.1 percent to 275,909.

Youth Offending, Property Crimes Continue Rapid Growth

Five of the fastest-growing crimes were property-related.

Theft from motor vehicles was the most common and fastest-growing offence, up 39.3 percent to 82,414 incidents.

The theft of number plates rose nearly 50 percent to over 30,000.

Police warned that nearly half of all vehicle thefts occurred without signs of forced entry, urging residents to lock their cars and remove valuables.

Retail theft surged 38.6 percent to 41,270 offences, fuelled by organised shop-stealing rings and mounting cost-of-living pressures.

A targeted CBD operation has led to 129 arrests and over 1,100 charges since July, while Shepparton police arrested more than 100 shoplifters in nine months.

Motor vehicle theft rose 47.1 percent to 31,551—the highest since 2002.

Police reported increasing use of electronic devices to mimic key signals, particularly targeting push-start Holdens, Toyotas, and Subarus. More than 1 in 5 cars were stolen with the owner’s keys still in possession.

Stolen cars were involved in 763 crashes—up 73 percent—with six fatalities recorded.

Other fast-rising crimes include general theft (up 20.5 percent), with petrol theft leading that category, and breaches of family violence orders (up 18.3 percent).

Victoria also saw a record 106,247 family violence incidents, a 10.7 percent rise from the previous year.

Youth offending reached historic highs, with 25,275 incidents involving children aged 10–17—the highest since electronic records began in 1993. While youths made up just 13.1 percent of all offenders, they accounted for 63.1 percent of robberies, 46 percent of aggravated burglaries, and 26.9 percent of car thefts.

Police Arrest 25,000 Individuals

Victoria Police say they are responding to the surge with aggressive enforcement.

For the third consecutive quarter, the state recorded the highest number of arrests since electronic recordkeeping began in 1993—25,917 people arrested a total of 75,968 times. There were no updates on improvements in sentencing.

“There is no doubt overall crime is higher than both the community and police would like,” said Acting Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations David Clayton. “That’s why every police officer is working tirelessly to reduce crime and hold criminals accountable.”

Targeted operations are a key part of the strategy.

Operation Trinity, which focuses on home invasions and car theft, has involved 140,000 policing hours. Operation Alliance targets youth gangs and prolific young offenders. Together, these have led to 3,300 youth offender arrests.

Police are also cracking down on prohibited weapons. Knife-related crime, captured under broader prohibited weapon categories, increased 12.7 percent, with 7,500 bladed weapons seized this year alone. Officers are now removing an average of 44 knives per day.

Despite a rise in offences at shopping complexes, police say offending at these locations is roughly at pre-pandemic levels. High-visibility patrols continue during peak periods to enhance safety.

“We know the community has strong concerns around young offenders breaking into homes to steal cars, which are then driven at high speeds on our roads,” said Clayton. “This offending has led to catastrophic consequences, with stolen cars involved in more than 760 crashes and six deaths.”

Government Defends Record, Opposition Demands Action

The state government has attributed the rising crime, in part, to repeat offenders.

Police Minister Anthony Carbines said new bail reforms introduced in March have already led to a doubling in the number of youths held on remand and a 31 percent rise in adults held in custody.

“We’ll start to see those tougher bail laws have an effect on some of our crime statistics and crime indicators in future quarters,” Carbines said.

The government has also moved to ban machetes across the state and appointed former New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush as Victoria’s new chief commissioner after an extensive recruitment process.

But the opposition has come down on the government’s record on crime.

“This is evidence that what Labor is doing is not working,” said Opposition Leader Brad Battin. “Community safety is clearly not their priority, and Victorians are suffering.”

Shadow Police Minister David Southwick said the figures “only scratch the surface.”

“With Victoria Police critically underfunded and understaffed, countless crimes are going unreported and undetected,” he added.

The crime figures were released just one day after a stolen Toyota Landcruiser was driven through Melbourne’s Northland Shopping Centre in a brazen escape attempt. No injuries were reported, but the incident has added urgency to calls for tougher measures.