There were 627,268 criminal offences recorded in Victoria in the twelve months to end of March 2025 – an increase of 91,692 offences or 17.1%.
When population growth is considered, the crime rate rose by 15.2% from the previous twelve months (8,838.7 offences per 100,000 people).
The impact caused by the first tranche of changes to bail laws is not evident in this reporting period, given these only came into effect on 28 March.
For a third consecutive quarter, Victoria Police recorded the most arrests since electronic records began in 1993, and most likely, in Victoria Police’s 172-year history.
Police arrested 25,917 people a combined 75,968 times – the equivalent of 208 arrests per day. Overall arrests have increased by 23% over the last decade (61,989 in 12 months to March 2016).
The five fastest growing crimes are mostly property crimes, which is traditionally the case in difficult economic times. In order, these crimes are:
Theft from motor vehicle (82,414 offences, +23,259 or 39.3%) remains the most common and fastest growing crime. This increase is being heavily driven by the theft of number plates (30,299, +10,042 or 49.6%). Police regularly run community safety days where we help fit anti-theft screws, while they can be purchased from hardware stores, automotive parts stores and petrol stations for just a few dollars. Opportunistic offenders also look for valuables such as wallets, cash and tools left in vehicles. While police continue to patrol hotspots across the state, there are some simple measures the community can take to prevent falling victim. With as many as half 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 (41,270 offences, + 11,493 or 38.6%) continues to hit record highs, as cost of living pressures bite. Police are also aware of organised groups of shop stealers working together to steal goods and on-sell them for a profit. These figures are a greater reflection of the extent of retail crime, as large-scale retailers continue to improve their reporting practices. For example, alcohol theft has never been higher which also coincides with major liquor retailers reinforcing their expectations to staff around reporting thefts to authorities. Victoria Police regularly arrests shoplifters as part of dedicated operations. A dedicated CBD operation has led to 129 arrests and almost 1,150 charges since July last year. These arrests were in relation to thefts exceeding $400,000. Regional shoplifters are also being targeted, with Shepparton officers arresting over 100 shoplifters in nine months as part of a targeted operation.
Motor vehicle theft (31,551 offences, +10,099 or 47.1%) is at its highest levels since 2002. More than one in five cars are stolen in circumstances where the owner reports retaining their keys. This has coincided with an increase in offenders using electronic devices capable of programming or mimicking keys to steal cars. Holdens, Toyotas, and Subarus with push start technology are the most targeted cars using this methodology. In the last month, these makes have been stolen at two to three times the rate of the previous five years. Police urge owners of these vehicles to look at preventative measures to help deter thieves, including an on-board diagnostic port lock which prevents an offender connecting a reprogramming device to your vehicle. Among those using these devices are children who go on to travel at speeds in excess of 200 km/h – presenting an extreme risk to community safety. Concerningly, there has been a sharp increase in stolen cars being involved in collisions, with 763 in the twelve months to March (+322 or 73%). Six of these collisions resulted in fatalities.
Theft (other) offences was the fourth fastest growing crime (58,137 offences, +9,879 or 20.5%), with petrol the most common item stolen in this category (5,627, +1,167 or 26.2%).
Family violence order breaches (63,809, +9,848 or 18.3%) increased as Victoria experienced a record 106,247 family violence incidents (+10,271 or 10.7%). Most breaches are committed using technology, with offenders using mobile phones and social media to target victims. Last year, Victoria Police arrested 8,435 family violence offenders 15,557 times.
Other key areas of interest include:
Child crime (10-17) remains at the highest levels since electronic records commenced in 1993 (25,275 incidents, +17.9%). Children only account for 13.1% of all offenders processed, however they are overrepresented in serious and violent crimes such as robberies (63.1%), aggravated burglaries (46%), and car theft (26.9%). Victoria Police has made 3,300 arrests of Victoria’s worst youth offenders over the past year as part of Operation Trinity (home burglaries and car thefts) and Operation Alliance (youth gangs).
Aggravated residential burglaries remain at historic highs (7,878, +1,839 or 30.5%). Victoria Police committed 140,000 policing hours targeting burglars and car thieves as part of Operation Trinity last year, with the operation still ongoing from dawn to dusk every night across Melbourne.
Knife crime remains an ongoing area of focus for Victoria Police. The Crime Statistics Agency does not specifically record the number of knife related offences, with this captured more broadly under prohibited and controlled weapons offences which also includes items such as knuckle dusters, batons and tasers (10,918, +1,233 or 12.7%). However, Victoria Police data shows the force is on track to remove a record number of illegal blades, machetes, and zombie knives from the community this year, with an average of 44 taken off the streets every day. Police have already seized over 7,500 edged weapons this year – easily on pace to surpass the previous record of 14,805 in 2024. Knife seizures have increased by 31% in the past decade.
Today’s CSA data release shows that while overall crime at Victoria’s 13 biggest shopping complexes has increased year-on-year (5,805, +988), overall offending at these locations remains equivalent to the levels experienced five years ago (5,750 in 12 months to March 2020). Property and deception offences account for more than 80% of all crime at shopping centres. This most often involves instances where lost or stolen credit cards are used to purchase goods, as well as shop stealing. Crimes against the person only account for around 11% of all crime in shopping centres. Victoria Police continues to regularly run high visibility operations at shopping centres, including over school holidays, to prevent serious crime and ensure the community feels safe.
Quotes attributable to Acting Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations David Clayton
“There is no doubt overall crime is higher than both the community and police would like.
“That’s why every police officer is working tirelessly to reduce crime and hold criminals accountable – as they did in these twelve months with a record 75,968 arrests.
“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.
“This offending has led to catastrophic consequences in the past year, with stolen cars involved in more than 760 crashes and six people losing their lives.
“Knife crime is another area of intense focus for Victoria Police, with officers removing an average of 44 blades from the hands of criminals every day this year.
