Victoria Police Annual Report 2023-24

Foreword from the Chief Commissioner of Police

In accordance with the Financial Management Act 1994, I am pleased to present the Victoria Police Annual Report for the reporting period ending 30 June 2024.

This report is a record of our performance against a range of statutory requirements and the Government’s budget performance measures. It includes an overview of our most important programs, initiatives, and achievements over the past 12 months.

2023–24 in review

Victoria Police worked closely with communities and partner agencies to address key community safety concerns. This involved recognising and responding to social, economic and technological changes, as well as modernising key systems, processes and services.

We employed a range of proactive and specialist policing roles to prevent and respond to child and youth offending and victimisation. Through the Embedded Youth Outreach Program (EYOP), we provided a joint response to young people at high risk of antisocial or criminal behaviour and/or victimisation.

The program aims to engage with at-risk young people and their families before further offences or serious crimes take place. Throughout 2023–24, we undertook work to expand EYOP, and on 1 July 2024, the program was successfully expanded to the Brimbank, Melton and Greater Shepparton areas.

In July 2023, we released the Victoria Police Youth Gang Strategy 2023–2026. The strategy directs our efforts to prevent youth gang membership and detect and disrupt violent and threatening behaviour from youth gangs.

Key areas of focus include greater engagement and collaboration with the community and stakeholders through building police capacity and capability to respond to the evolving youth gang environment.

The strategy complements and builds upon the work of Operation Alliance, our overarching operation targeting the harm caused by youth gangs and connected youth offenders.

In October 2023, Operation Park was established to oversee operational activities related to the Israel-Gaza conflict, with a focus on policing protests and demonstrations related to the conflict. Taskforce Lunar was also established in response to an increasing number of arsons on tobacco stores and other premises linked to organised crime syndicates’ involvement in the illicit tobacco trade.

We are committed to a reduction in the representation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system. On 11 March 2024, I made a Statement of Commitment to ensure we continue to deliver change by partnering and building trust with Aboriginal community members and organisations.

The Statement of Commitment includes an accompanying plan which details our actions between 2023 and 2025. We have partnered with Aboriginal community members to ensure that these actions will be implemented, monitored, and deliver tangible outcomes.

Road safety remains one of our key priorities. To keep the community safe on our roads, we targeted intentional high-risk driving, rural roads, speeding, impaired driving, seatbelts, restraints and distracted and unauthorised drivers.

Throughout the year, we conducted various operations to minimise road trauma risks, contributing to the removal of dangerous drivers from Victorian roads and promoting general deterrence.

Holidays continue to be high-risk periods on Victorian roads. In addition to local operations, we delivered eight state-wide road policing operations to coincide with major holiday periods and public holiday long weekends. Community safety is the foundation of everything we do.

Shane Patton APM
Chief Commissioner, Victoria Police