Crime in Victoria

Criminal activity in Victoria, Australia is addressed by Victoria Police, the Victorian court system, and community-based initiatives. The Crime Statistics Agency compiles and publishes quarterly updates on recorded offences, victim reports, and offender incidents.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, Victoria recorded a total of 474,937 criminal incidents, an increase of 20.1% from the previous year. The number of offences rose by 17.1% to 627,268, while alleged offender incidents increased by 19.4%. Reports involving person victims rose by 20.1%, and family violence incidents increased by 10.7%. Incidents involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also rose significantly, with alleged offender incidents up 36.2% in the year to March 2025.

The Local Government Areas (LGAs) with the highest criminal incident rates were:

• Melbourne – 17,792.1 incidents per 100,000 residents (21.3%)
• Yarra – 12,767.2 (22.6%)
• Latrobe – 12,333.8 (10.7%)
• Mildura – 11,042.5 (4.8%)
• Ararat – 10,885.3 (25.2%)

The highest offence rates were recorded in:

• Melbourne – 22,955.5 offences per 100,000 residents
• Latrobe – 17,287.3
• Yarra – 15,467.9
• Greater Shepparton – 15,046.9
• Ararat – 14,844.4

While some regional LGAs have consistently high crime rates, Victoria overall has historically maintained a comparatively low crime rate in both national and international contexts. In particular, homicide rates remain lower than in many comparable jurisdictions. During the colonial period (1851 to 1901), the most common offence was drunkenness, and by 1907, it accounted for around 40 per cent of all convictions nationwide. Early crime records prior to Australian Federation are considered inconsistent, except for homicide data, which was more reliably recorded.