- Date:
- 28 Aug 2022
Message from the Chief Commissioner
I take great pleasure in introducing the Victoria Police Corporate Plan 2022–2023, which outlines the key actions Victoria Police will take in the year ahead across our identified priority areas of:
- Community safety
- Reducing crime
- Reducing road trauma and
- Service delivery excellence.
The world has certainly seen a lot of change over the course of the last few years. I am proud of the resilient and professional response that Victoria Police has provided to the challenges our community has faced.
As we all move towards a new normal, Victoria Police will renew its focus on working closely with local communities and partner agencies to address key community safety concerns and seize every opportunity to prevent, deter and disrupt offending.
This focus will involve cementing the foundations of our back-to-basics approach that we have put in place, such as the Neighbourhood Policing Model and Schools Engagement Model, as well as strengthening other core capabilities.
In 2022–2023, we will design and implement evidence-based approaches to gangs, counter terrorism and violent extremism, cybercrime, serious and organised crime, and road safety.
We will actively pursue strategies to deal with the greatest harms to the community, such as family violence, illicit drugs, and illegal firearms.
To ensure we have the capabilities to fulfil these commitments, we will modernise our facilities, roll out essential equipment such as conducted energy devices (also known as ‘tasers’), and invest in recruiting, training and supporting a skilled workforce.
To maintain community trust and confidence, we will transform our complaint and discipline system, strengthen our management of confidential human sources, and focus on ensuring every employee embodies our desired culture.
To capitalise on these investments and initiatives, a key focus in 2022–2023 is on service delivery transformation. We will revise how we organise our workforce, how we deliver our services to and with the community, and how we ensure we have the greatest impact on community safety.
This focus will enable Victoria Police to respond effectively and ethically to the demands of today, as well as position us to respond to the dynamic demands that arise in the future.
We have an exciting year planned and one in which I look forward to Victoria Police producing significant achievements.
Shane Patton APM
Chief Commissioner
About this plan
The Victoria Police Corporate Plan 2022–2023 is aligned to the medium-term planning requirement set out in the Resource Management Framework published by the Department of Treasury and Finance.
The Corporate Plan forms part of an integrated organisational planning framework and maintains focus across the organisation.
It is refreshed every year to reflect changes in Government and organisational objectives, emerging priorities, and community safety needs.
Victoria Police Corporate Plan 2022–2023: About Victoria Police
Our role and function
The role of Victoria Police is to serve the Victorian community and uphold the law to promote a safe, secure, and orderly society.
Victoria Police achieves this by:
- preserving the peace
- protecting life and property
- preventing the commission of offences
- detecting and apprehending offenders
- helping those in need of assistance.
Victoria Police operates under the Victoria Police Act 2013 (Vic).
Our code of ethics and values
The organisational values underpin Victoria Police’s policies, procedures, and practices.
They also define how employees interact with the community and each other.
Organisational values
Victoria Police Corporate Plan 2022–2023: Our operating environment
Our finances
Victoria Police has a budget of $3.9 billion in 2022–2023 to deliver policing services 24 hours a day to the Victorian community and visitors across our state. This supports the Victorian Government priorities as set out in Budget Paper 3: Service Delivery.
Our objective is ‘Ensuring community safety through policing, law enforcement and crime prevention activities.'
Our objective indicators are:
- community safety during the day and at night
- community safety on public transport
- crime statistics
- number of road fatalities
- number of hospitalisations from road injuries.
Our people
Victoria Police employs more than 22,200 staff.
These employees include:
- more than 16,690 police officers
- 1470 Protective Services Officers (PSOs)
- 400 Police Custody Officers (PCOs)
- 3650 Victorian Public Service (VPS) employees.
VPS employees support Victoria Police and work across a wide variety of functions. These areas include:
- capability development
- community engagement
- finance and accounting
- forensic science
- human resources
- information and communications technology
- infrastructure services
- intelligence
- legal services
- organisational planning
- policy
- regulation
- research.
Our employee numbers change in line with Victorian Government investment in our recruitment.
We are committed to making sure our people reflect the diversity of the community we serve.
Figure 2: Our people
Our organisational risks
The effective management of risk is vital to achieve Victoria Police objectives.
We continue to focus on maturing risk management practices that strengthen risk identification and support informed decision making.
We are committed to an ongoing positive risk culture that normalises sound risk management practices.
We will continue to follow our new Victoria Police Risk Management Framework to improve our performance and manage organisational risks.
Our performance
Victoria Police monitors and reports on performance in line with government requirements.
Reporting on our progress against key initiatives and outcomes is provided in the Annual Report.
This includes reporting against performance measures outlined in the Victorian Government Budget Papers and Community Safety Statements.
Further to this, our progress of specific initiatives is monitored by the following entities including:
- the Minister for Police
- Implementation Monitor for Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants
- Family Violence Reform Implementation Monitor
- the Victims of Crime Commissioner
- the Gender Equality Commissioner.
Victoria Police Corporate Plan 2022–2023: Our focus
Our focus
Victoria Police is committed to keeping Victorians safe in their homes, on our roads, and when they are out and about.
Priority areas
Community safety
Reduce crime
Reduce road trauma
Service delivery excellence
These four priorities help ensure that we continue our efforts to deliver strong outcomes for the Victorian community.
Each of the priorities is supported by a suite of initiatives and projects. These will contribute to our progress towards achieving our key goals.
Victoria Police Corporate Plan 2022–2023: Priority area - Community safety
Community safety
Community safety is at the forefront of our service to the community. Everyone needs to feel safe in their home and as they move about in the community.
The Neighbourhood Policing Model ensures Victoria Police listens to community concerns and resolves issues to aid in keeping people safe.
We will strengthen our ability to support and assist every member of the community by forming strong and sustainable stakeholder partnerships.
We recognise the importance of working with government and emergency response agencies, local industries, business sectors and community groups.
Through our partnerships with Aboriginal communities, we will support the path to self-determination. We will also play our part in reducing overrepresentation in the Victorian criminal justice system.
Supporting victims is a critical component of our work. We will continue to strengthen support for victims with our partners in victim services and family violence support programs.
Increased police patrols on roads, water and in the air, will deter and prevent crime and promote road safety across the state.
A strong and visible police presence makes people feel safe and builds confidence in Victoria Police.
We will continue to foster close relationships with all sectors of the community to detect and investigate crimes. Our proactive programs, which include harm minimisation initiatives and community partnerships, will provide a positive impact on the lives of young and vulnerable people, by reducing repeat offending and victimisation.
We will continue to develop our Police Assistance Line and Online Reporting systems.
These systems free up police resources to respond to emergency situations and enable the public to report non-urgent crimes and events 24 hours a day.
Victoria Police actions to increase community safety
Victoria Police will focus on building community safety by:
- Implementing and evaluating the Neighbourhood Policing Model aimed at managing long-term high-risk crime locations through community safety partnerships
- Implementing a reformed workforce model for protective services officers
- Continuing to modernise our police facilities
- Supporting the successful, secure, and safe planning and delivery of the Commonwealth Games in Victoria in 2026
- Supporting the successful, secure, and safe planning and delivery of the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) 2022 in Melbourne
- Developing and implementing the Victoria Police Youth Strategy
- Implementing the Victoria Police Counter Terrorism Strategy.
Victoria Police Corporate Plan 2022–2023: Priority area - Reduce crime
Reduce crime
At the core of everything Victoria Police does, is:
- preventing crime
- disrupting criminal activity
- holding offenders to account
- minimising harm to the community.
We respond to crime through building on professional partnerships, multi-agency collaboration and targeted strategies.
These strategies include our:
- Counter Terrorism Strategy
- Anti-Gang Strategy
- Cybercrime Strategy
- Drug Strategy
- Serious and Organised Crime Strategy
- Strategy for Family Violence, Sexual Offences and Child Abuse.
Crime Command’s highly skilled specialist investigation teams conduct high-level investigations into:
- serious and organised crime
- homicide
- armed crime
- child exploitation
- drug trafficking
- cybercrime
- sexual assault.
Located throughout the regions, Family Violence and Sexual Offences/Child Abuse Investigation Units provide a professional and tailored response to crimes committed within their local communities.
The Regional Crime response differs across the state to ensure a tailored approach to local geographical and socioeconomic factors.
Crimes involving aggravated burglaries and violent offending continue to be prioritised as they cause considerable harm and concern.
Victoria Police is working to reduce crime through local safety initiatives that tackle recidivism across various crime themes. A critical focus of this work includes:
- supporting victims of crime
- reducing harm
- driving strategies to increase community safety.
Victoria Police actions to reduce crime
Victoria Police will continue to focus on reducing crime by:
- Continuing implementation of the Drug Strategy 2020-2025 to minimise the harmful impact of drugs in the Victorian community
- Implementing a Victoria Police Anti-Gang Strategy
- Operationalising Taskforce VIPER to adopt a coordinated approach to targeting serious and organised crime activity
- Continuing to enhance organisational responses to family violence and violence against women and children
- Implementing the Victoria Police Cybercrime Strategy (2022–2027)
- Implementing the Victoria Police Serious and Organised Crime Strategy (2022–2025)
- Implementing the Victoria Police Illicit Firearms Strategy (2022–2025).
Victoria Police Corporate Plan 2022–2023: Priority area - Reduce road trauma
Reduce road trauma
Road collisions affect every part of our community. They can have devastating effects on individuals and families.
Victoria Police will continue to collaborate with our road safety partners and users of Victorian roads to:
- monitor and improve driver behaviour
- educate the community
- reduce death and serious injury on our roads.
We will maximise police presence on our roads to target high risk driving behaviours that contribute to the road toll and road collisions. These behaviours include:
- impaired driving
- speeding
- not wearing seatbelts
- fatigue
- driver distraction.
We will also focus on people who use the roads for work or at work, and people who are at higher risk of being injured.
We will increase police presence on the roads to keep road users as safe as possible during traditional peak periods for road trauma, such as school and public holidays.
Critical to detection and deterrence are Victoria Police alcohol and drug testing vehicles. We will continue to target road users impaired by alcohol or other drugs through daily operations. These will be highly visible on highways, country roads and local streets.
Victoria Police actions to reduce road trauma
Victoria Police will help ensure all Victorians feel safe on and around our roads through:
- enhancing our road policing capabilities
- enforcing road safety laws.
Victoria Police will support and focus on the Victoria Police Road Safety Strategy 2021-2024 to keep our community safe on our roads.
Victoria Police Corporate Plan 2022–2023: Priority area - Service delivery excellence
Service delivery excellence
Victoria Police is on track to implement an improved service delivery model by 2025. This will be achieved through a diverse range of projects, initiatives, and programs to:
- improve community connection
- enhance approaches to crime prevention
- support victims of crime and vulnerable members of the community
- combat emerging crime trends
- build capability in digital frontline policing systems.
An improved service delivery model will enable us to:
- always respond in a timely manner
- meet service demands
- develop stronger community safety partnerships.
Our leadership focus, supported by ongoing people-focused leadership programs, will ensure managers and supervisors have the skills to lead the organisation through transformational change.
Our leaders will:
- drive respectful and inclusive workplace culture
- support ethical decision making that reflects our organisational values
- model service excellence standards.
We are reforming our discipline process. The new system will deliver a more transparent, timely, accountable, and victim-centric process.
Achieving outcomes of the Equal Safe and Strong Strategy is pivotal as we work alongside the Victorian Gender Equality Commissioner. Equal Safe and Strong will improve gender equality across the organisation and reduce workplace harm.
Supporting national priorities, Victoria Police will contribute to the creation of a National Crime Intelligence System (NCIS). The system will connect law enforcement and intelligence agencies across the nation to enable information sharing on criminal activity. This streamlined system will allow police to find the information they need to keep themselves and the community safe.
Victoria Police actions to deliver service excellence
Victoria Police will deliver service excellence to the community by:
- Transforming Victoria Police’s service delivery and operating model
- Continuing to implement the Integrated Leadership Development Framework
- Attracting, recruiting, training, and deploying an additional 502 police and 50 protective services officers
- Continuing the transformation of the Victoria Police complaints and discipline system
- Inspiring Victoria Police’s culture by developing and driving a CultureWorks program
- Continuing to embed gender equality in our culture and practice through implementation of the Equal, Safe & Strong Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2030
- Developing and implementing a holistic organisational resilience framework to support the ongoing mental health and wellbeing of Victoria Police employees
- Continuing to embrace diversity and inclusion through strategy development and recruitment initiatives
- Responding to the Yoorrook Justice Commission and leading work towards truth-telling and improving cultural awareness and safety across Victoria Police
- Continuing to progress recommendations from the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants
- Contributing to a range of legislative reforms and inquiries that lead to crime reduction, increased efficiencies, and harm minimisation
- Progressing the implementation of the Victoria Police IT (Digital) Service Transformation
- Progressing funded programs in relation to Conducted Energy Devices, Electronic Document Records Management System, Enterprise Rostering, Electronic Penalty Infringement Notices and Oracle Financials
- Developing a strategy and action plan that enables Victoria Police to contribute meaningfully towards the Victorian Government climate change program of work
- Continuing to improve Victoria Police’s financial sustainability through a multi-year investment strategy and structural reforms.