20/03/2025
There were 605,640 criminal offences recorded in Victoria in 2024 – an increase of 82,237 offences or 15.7%.
When population growth is considered, the crime rate rose by 13.2% from 2023 (8,691.6 offences per 100,000 people). This is the highest crime rate since 2016.
In 2024, Victoria Police made the most arrests since electronic records commenced in 1993 - 26,519 people were arrested a total of 73,539 times.
This equates to 201 arrests per day.
By comparison, Victoria Police made 65,627 arrests in 2023 and 58,124 arrests a decade ago.
The five fastest growing crimes in Victoria are:
Theft from motor vehicle (75,731 offences, +18,929) is both the most common and fastest growing crime.
More than a third of these offences relate to number plate theft (27,466 offences), as criminals target plates to carry out further serious offending in stolen vehicles.
Power tools were the second most stolen item. While police continue to patrol hotspots across the state, there are some simple measures the community can take to prevent falling victim.
With 55% of all theft from motor vehicle offences showing no sign of forced entry, police urge the community to always lock their cars, remove valuables, and park off street where possible.
Theft from a retail store (38,750 offences, + 10,512) continues to reach record levels as sustained cost of living pressures result in more people resorting to stealing items such as groceries and clothing.
Alcohol is the most stolen item from stores, contributing to around a third of all shop steal offences. Police intelligence shows shop steal syndicates are targeting alcohol for the purchase of on selling.
Victoria Police busted one of these syndicates in January this year, with three men charged for their alleged role in the theft of more than $130,000 of liquor from 120 different stores across Melbourne.
Targeted operations in retail theft hotspots, such as South Yarra, Melbourne’s CBD, Port Melbourne, and Shepparton, continue regularly.
Theft (other) offences was the third fastest growing crime (56,653 offences, +10,138), with petrol the most common item stolen in this category (+27.6%, from 4179 to 5,334).
Other common examples of theft (other) offences include a wallet or phone being stolen when the owner puts it down, as opposed to being taken during a robbery.
Motor vehicle theft (28,922 offences, +8,432) recorded the largest percentage increase of the top five fastest growing crimes (+41.2%), reaching its highest levels since 2002. Reasons for the significant increase in the number of cars being stolen will be discussed in depth later in this release.
Family violence order breaches
(61,522, +7,956) increased as Victoria experienced an all-time record 104,786 family violence incidents (+10,620 or 11.3%). Last year, Victoria Police arrested 8,482 family violence offenders 15,487 times.
Child and youth crime
Crimes committed by children aged 10 - 17 rose to their highest levels since electronic records commenced in 1993 (24,550 incidents, +16.3% year-on-year).
Youth offending (18 – 24) also increased by 14.7% (27,522 incidents, +3,521).
Repeat child offending is a key reason for the overall increase in crime announced today, with Victoria Police processing 7,414 child offenders a combined 24,550 times last year (+16.3% from 21,105).
The number of unique child offenders actually decreased by 3%, however the total number of repeat offenders increased by 4.9%. In simple terms, there are less children committing crime, but those who continue to offend are doing so more frequently.
The worst of these offenders continue to be targeted as part of Victoria Police’s two major youth focused operations – Operation Trinity (home burglaries and car thefts) and Operation Alliance (youth gangs).
Police made an overwhelming 3,400 arrests in 2024 as part of these two operations.
This includes 330 hardened young offenders arrested three or more times for committing serious and violent crimes such as breaking into homes, stealing cars, carrying knives, and assaulting and robbing people.
Victoria Police has been very clear that this level of child and youth offending recidivism is completely unacceptable and as a result, welcomes the Government’s bail changes.
Advice and recommendations were provided to Government by Victoria Police ahead of this announcement, including the critical need for community safety to outweigh the rights of the individual committing repeat serious and violent crime when it comes to bail decisions.
Victoria Police welcomes these changes, with a belief that stronger bail laws will significantly impact upon child and youth offending levels.
Home burglaries
There were 30,112 home burglaries (aggravated and non-aggravated combined) across Victoria in 2024 – 4,850 more than in 2023. 14.1% of all home burglaries were failed attempts when the offender discovered the house was locked.
Most concerningly, aggravated residential burglaries have reached record levels (7,464, up from 5,887 in 2023).
A hardcore group of young offenders aged between 14 and 17 are responsible for the sharp rise in aggravated home burglaries.
Operation Trinity intelligence reveals the 20 worst offenders committed 302 aggravated burglaries where a car was stolen over the past year. This equates to almost a fifth of all offences of this type across Melbourne.
While 95% of aggravated burglaries involve no confrontation, the trauma caused by knowing someone was in your home can leave lifelong impacts.
For this reason, Victoria Police committed 140,000 policing hours towards targeting underage burglars and car thieves last year, with 1,650 arrests made as part of Operation Trinity.
Teams of police working as part of Operation Trinity continue to saturate Melbourne’s suburbs every night in an attempt to keep the community’s homes and cars safe.
The new bail laws are anticipated to result in a decrease in the number of homes being broken into.
Car theft
Car theft increased by 41.2%.
While children breaking into homes to steal cars is one factor behind this increase, a technological issue is primarily responsible.
Victoria Police recently issued a warning to vehicle owners, with police intelligence showing as many as one in five vehicles are being stolen using electronic devices capable of programming or mimicking keys.
Offenders are breaking into vehicles, before plugging these devices into the cars on board diagnostic port – as you might plug a USB into a computer. Within minutes, the offender is able to override the security system and start the engine.
Victims of this crime report to police their car simply vanished from outside their home or a busy carpark, despite the car being locked and them retaining their car keys.
Certain makes and models with electronic push start technology that were built in the mid-2010s are being targeted.
Victoria Police’s Vehicle Crime Squad has been addressing this issue with impacted manufacturers, given car electronic security systems are being exploited.
Police are urging owners of these vehicles to look at a range of preventative measures to help deter thieves, including an on board diagnostic port lock which prevents an offender connecting a reprogramming device to your vehicle.
These locks are highly affordable and self-installable.
A full range of impacted vehicles and crime prevention options can be found at https://www.police.vic.gov.au/preventing-motor-vehicle-theft
It is imperative manufacturers and car owners employ technological remedies or target hardening measures.
Otherwise, car theft will continue to increase in Victoria.
Quotes attributable to Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Bob Hill……
“The overall crime rates in Victoria are totally unacceptable.
“The sad reality is that more crime equates to more victims involving members of community, who in some cases, will be impacted for life.
“Our police members continue to display extraordinary professionalism in doing what they can to protect the community.
“Last year, our hardworking officers made the most arrests since electronic records commenced in 1993, with more than 73,500 arrests in total or the equivalent of 201 per day.
“Despite this, crime continues to rise due to a range of complex issues impacting our state.
“We completely understand the community concerns around young offenders breaking into homes, stealing cars, and putting other people at risk on our roads.
“Be assured that police are arresting the state’s worst young offenders again and again - youth gang members, child car thieves and underage burglars were arrested 3,400 times last year as part of Operation Alliance and Operation Trinity.
“As a society, we simply cannot tolerate this level of offending. The time has come for Victorians to feel safe in their homes again and for young offenders to be held accountable.
“Victoria Police have worked with Government around the critical need to strengthen bail laws.
“We welcome last week’s announcement and have every confidence that the changes will lead to a reduction in youth offending and crimes such as aggravated burglaries.
“While youth crime is playing out on our streets and in our newspapers, the scourge of family violence carried out behind closed doors has hit record levels that see police responding to an incident every five minutes.
“Highly difficult economic times are also having a significant impact on crime, with financial pressures a common cause for family violence, while more people are resorting to stealing from shops to feed and clothe themselves and their family.
“Technology is also playing a part in rising crime, with vehicle thefts sharply increasing as offenders use electronic devices to exploit vehicle security systems and steal cars.
“Victoria Police continues to engage vehicle manufacturers around this issue, while vehicle owners can protect themselves from falling victim by installing cheap and easy crime prevention measures.
Footage: File.
Ballarat News Team
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