Victoria Police will lead the operational arm of the new Organised Crime Command to identify, target and dismantle organised crime networks and stop the harm they cause in our community.
The new Command will focus on making sure Victoria Police keeps pace with the evolving and sophisticated use of technology by organised crime entities.
Victoria Police is determined to make sure it is not just arresting organised criminals and those acting on their behalf but preventing the harm they cause in the first place.
The Command’s priority will be to identify, target, and dismantle organised crime networks at every level – from those carrying out offences through to the people directing and profiting from them.
Organised crime groups are always looking for new ways to make money and avoid detection.
Organised crime groups are increasingly adaptable, moving between criminal markets wherever they identify profit, opportunity or vulnerabilities to exploit.
The Organised Crime Command will strengthen Victoria Police’s existing capabilities, targeting the people, networks, facilitators, finances, and enablers that sit behind organised crime, no matter how it presents itself.
Once established, the Organised Crime Command will provide an enduring capability to identify, target, and dismantle the people, networks and financial structures that underpin organised crime, ensuring Victoria Police is equipped to meet emerging threats now and into the future.
By following the money, seizing assets, dismantling criminal networks and preventing recruitment into organised crime, the Command will work to prevent harm before it occurs.
Organised crime does not stop at state borders and neither can law enforcement.
The Victorian Government will coordinate the broader Victorian whole-of-government response across state agencies through dedicated governance arrangements, and Victoria Police will lead the operational response through the Organised Crime Command.
Victoria Police will maintain the strength of its existing Commonwealth relationships.
Victoria Police’s around-the-clock State Command and Coordination Centre, which provides a real-time view of activity across the state, will support assessment, coordination and response to emerging threats and incidents as they unfold.
The $170 million investment will provide Victoria Police with the specialist people, technology and operational capabilities required to identify, target, and dismantle organised crime groups and keep Victorians safe.
Victoria Police welcome the Government’s investment in the new Organised Crime Command and recognises that legislative reform will be critical to ensuring it has the powers and capability needed to combat organised crime effectively.
As organised crime groups continue to adopt technologies and increasingly sophisticated methods to avoid detection, modernised powers will be essential to support police in preventing and dismantling criminal networks.
Work will begin immediately to set up the Command ahead of it commencing operation in coming months.
Quotes attributable to Chief Commissioner Mike Bush:
“When I started in this job I said identifying, preventing, and dismantling organised crime was a key focus and today we are taking the next step.
“Our priority is simple: to identify, target and dismantle organised crime networks, and stop the harm they cause in Victorian communities.
“This is not just about arresting offenders. It is about identifying the people directing criminal activity, removing their profits, taking down their operations and breaking apart the structures that allow organised crime to thrive.
“Through the establishment of this new Command, Victoria Police will identify, prevent, target, and dismantle organised crime networks from the ground up.
“Our goal is not simply to arrest offenders but to break the networks, remove the profits and prevent the next generation of organised criminals from emerging.”
