Victoria’s crime rate has soared to the highest levels on record, driven by a spike in thefts across the state.
The latest figures from the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) show continued growth in both criminal incidents and recorded offences in Victoria since the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner, Regional Operations, Bob Hill, said the figures were unacceptable.
“As a society, we simply cannot allow the level of crime we are seeing to become normalised and accepted,” he said.
“Every Victorian deserves to feel safe in their home, within the community and on the roads.”
Victoria Police recorded 483,583 criminal incidents in the 12 months before June 30, 2025.
It is an 18.3 per cent rise from the 408,930 incidents recorded in the same period last year.
The CSA said this represented the highest recorded figures since the commencement of reporting in 2004-05.
It represents a 22 per cent jump in the criminal incidents overall since 2017.
In the same time period, Victoria’s population has grown by about 12 per cent.
Melbourne remains the local government area with the highest rate of crime, seeing 18,097.4 criminal incidents per 100,000 estimated resident population.
That number is a 17.4 per cent jump on last year’s figures.
However, the per capita crime rate is still lower than in 2017, when Melbourne saw 18,334.2 criminal incidents per 100,000 residents.
