Cost of living and family violence help push Victoria crime rate to highest level in almost a decade
Crime across Victoria is now at its highest level in almost a decade with cost-of-living pressures, family violence and a small group of young repeat offenders singled out as contributing factors, placing further pressure on the embattled Allan government.
As Labor's controversial 'tough' bail laws were debated in parliament on Thursday, the Crime Statistics Agency released data showing 605,640 criminal offences were recorded in Victoria in 2014 – a 15.7% increase from the previous year.
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When adjusted for population growth, the crime rate for every 100,000 people was 8,691.6, marking a 13.2% rise from 2023. Despite this, the rate remains lower than it was in 2016.
However, crimes committed by children aged 10 to 17 rose in 2024 to their highest levels since electronic records began in 1993.
There were 7,414 children arrested 24,550 times in 2024 – although Victoria police said a small group of about 330 'hardened young offenders' was behind most of the offending.
Police said the number of unique offenders was down by 3% compared to 2023 but repeat offender incidents increased by 4.9%.
'In simple terms, there are less children committing crime but those who continue to offend are doing so more frequently,' police said.
Speaking outside parliament on Thursday, the police minister, Anthony Carbines, said there were 20 young offenders responsible for committing more than 300 aggravated burglaries involving vehicle theft.
'Our unique offender rate is flat, but the offence rate continues to go up because of the repeat offenders,' Carbines said.
Theft from motor vehicles – at 75,731 offences, an increase of 18,929 since 2023 – is the most common, and fastest-growing, crime in Victoria. More than a third of these offences were related to number plate theft (27,466).
Victoria police deputy commissioner for regional operations, Bob Hill, described the rising rate of youth crime as 'completely unacceptable' but was confident the government's proposed bail laws would reduce offending.
The Labor government introduced changes to the Bail Act – criticised by legal human rights and First Nations groups – to parliament this week amid debate over what some conservative media and commentators have labelled a 'youth crime crisis'.
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The parliament is expected to sit late on Thursday to pass the so-called 'Tough Bail Bill', which would force courts to treat children accused of serious crimes like adults when deciding whether to remand them or release them into the community.
The Coalition opposition, which supports the bill, will move several amendments, including to remove the word 'tough' from the title as they want it to go further.
Opposition leader, Brad Battin, denied the amendment was 'petty'. He said the latest data was 'horrific' and proved 'crime is out of control across the whole state'.
'They should have acted on this a long time ago,' Battin said.
Meanwhile, the Greens will oppose the bill, describing it as 'draconian', 'rushed' and 'panicked'.
'The last time we had laws like this in Victoria, we saw a doubling of First Nations women in our prisons for non-violent crimes, we saw more kids in our prisons … and we saw deaths in custody,' leader Ellen Sandell said.
Hill said although it has received less attention, crime related to the cost of living and family violence also increased in 2024.
'While youth crime is playing out on our streets and in our newspapers, the scourge of family violence carried out behind closed doors has hit record levels that see police responding to an incident every five minutes,' he said.
'Highly difficult economic times are also having a significant impact on crime, with financial pressures a common cause for family violence, while more people are resorting to stealing from shops to feed and clothe themselves and their family.'
The number of family violence incidents reached an all-time high, increasing 11.3% from 94,166 in 2023 to 104,786 in 2024.
Retail theft also rose, with 38,750 incidents reported, an increase of 10,512 from 2023. Groceries, clothing and alcohol were most frequently stolen.
Carbines acknowledged cost-of-living pressures were taking a toll on Victorians but said it was not a 'leave pass' to break the law.
'There are many in the community who are working hard, working two or three jobs … busting a gut to put food on the table for their families, to pay their mortgages but they're not breaking the law,' he said.
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