Public safety at an event is a joint responsibility between the event organiser and Victoria Police. If you are hosting a community event, you are the organiser.
Event organisers have a responsibility to provide adequate measures to ensure the safety of event participants, spectators, and the general public.
Victoria Police has a responsibility to preserve the peace, and to detect and prevent offences.
Responsibilities of the event organiser
Event organisers must provide a safe, secure, and orderly event, in line with legal obligations and community expectations.
Event organisers should ensure that:
- the venue and facilities are suitable for the expected crowd, including access in emergency situations and proximity to public transport
- appropriate stakeholders are briefed and involved in the event planning process, such as state and local government bodies and emergency services
- movement of crowd and traffic directly resulting from the event is managed safely.
Let Victoria Police know about your event
Event organisers should notify Victoria Police of their event at the earliest opportunity. This should be at least 12 weeks before the proposed date of their event.
Large events
For large events and festivals, event organisers should contact the Victoria Police State Event Planning Unit at STATEEVENTS-OIC@police.vic.gov.au.
Local events
For small, local events, event organisers should contact the local police station in the area the event is being held.
Local police will request that the event organiser provide them with event specific management plans. These plans are required to address:
- strategies to manage and regulate crowd behaviour, such as the employment of private security staff familiar with venue risks and statutory responsibilities
- management of traffic and the potential impact on local amenities
- the responsible service and regulation of alcohol during the event
- identification and management of risks and hazards
- appropriate plans for response to emergency management situations, and safe evacuation of patrons.
Responsibilities of Victoria Police
Victoria Police will assist in assessing event management plans to ensure that the risk control measures being applied by the event organiser are sufficient for the nature of the event.
Any additional risks that are identified will be communicated to the event organiser so that they can take the required action to mitigate these risks.
Where Victoria Police identifies a need to allocate police resources to an event, these resources will be provided where:
- there is a demonstrable operational risk at the event, and the risk cannot be reasonably mitigated by the event organiser and as such the use of police resources is required, or;
- the community or government has an overriding expectation that police will attend the event.
Fees and charges for commercial events
Victoria Police may impose charges for services provided by police officers who are deployed for sporting, entertainment, and other events if:
- charges are made for admission to the event or participation in the event
- the event is commercial in nature
- the event is commercially promoted or sponsored.
Where police services are necessary to ensure safety at an event, Victoria Police will provide the event organiser with an estimated quotation of costs.
At the conclusion of the event the event organiser will receive an invoice from Victoria Police, with payment terms outlined.
Absent an agreement, the Chief Commissioner of Police has the power under the Victoria Police (Fees and Charges) Regulations 2024 to impose and enforce costs for the provision of Victoria Police services.
The Victorian Government has a policy of automatically indexing certain fees and charges each year for inflation, so that the value of those fees is maintained.
To calculate costs for police attendance at events Victoria Police utilises a schedule of fees and charges, which is published by the Victorian Government.
The Information sheet contains further details about the responsibilities of both Victoria Police and the event organiser during an event.
Cost waiver applications
Waivers are granted when an event organiser can demonstrate that, if police charges are imposed:
- the event may not go ahead
- the event will operate at a loss.
Event organisers may also apply for fees to be waived when an event is of benefit to the Victorian community, strengthens social cohesion or enhances community resilience.
Event organisers can apply for a waiver by completing the Waiver Application Form and emailing to SESC-USERPAYS-MGR@police.vic.gov.au. You can download the form either in Word or PDF format.
The guidelines have further information about the waiver process, and who is eligible.
It is recommended that event organisers submit their Waiver Application as soon as possible after receiving their quotation for police services at their event.
The waiver application form must be filled out in full for applications to be considered.
Event permits
For certain types of events, a Highway Permit application may need to be made to Victoria Police.
Permits are required by any event organiser wanting to:
- conduct a foot or bike race or similar on Victorian roads (including rolling road closures)
- collect money from vehicles on a public road at an intersection.
Resources
The Victorian Guidelines for Planning Safe Public Events have been developed through the collaboration of multiple agencies. The document presents the best practice for organisers in planning and executing events across Victoria.
The publication contains:
- risk assessment tools
- compliance guidelines
- public order and security
- health and safety
- relevant checklists.
Further resources for event organisers.
Contacts
For more information about planning safe events, contact the State Event Planning Unit at STATEEVENTS-OIC@police.vic.gov.au.
For information regarding user pays processes or cost waiver applications, contact the User Pays Unit at SESC-USERPAYS-MGR@police.vic.gov.au.
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