Victoria’s ‘major crime problem’ and ‘lack of trust’ in police sparks force’s biggest overhaul in years | Australian police and policing

Victoria police officers will spend less time on paperwork and more time patrolling the streets in a bid to reduce crime and rebuild public trust.

Commissioner’s chief Mike Bush on Monday announced the biggest restructuring of the police force in a decade, saying it was in response to the state’s “massive crime problem” and a “lack of trust and confidence” in police to deal with it.

“On these two very important issues, we need to police differently. We need a reset. We need to reorganize ourselves,” Bush told reporters.

The restructuring will reduce the burden on central command and departments and reduce the “administrative burden” on front-line officers, while also reducing the number of deputy commissioners from six to four, with one dedicated specifically to crime prevention.

“We don’t have enough officers on the front line to prevent and respond to calls for service because the way we organize has left most of them either in the back room or at the station completing tasks that someone else should be doing for them,” Bush said.

This comes after crime data released last month showed the state’s crime rate rising 13.8% year-on-year in 2024-25, with theft the fastest-growing crime. At the time, Victoria police announced a target to reduce serious and violent crime by 5% each year.

Bush, who was sworn in nearly four months ago after previously leading New Zealand’s police force, said he was particularly “surprised” to learn uniformed police officers were taking on reception and call-taking duties at stations across the state.

If these officers were redeployed to the front lines, it would mean 1.4 million additional staff hours per year, he said.

Victoria police will now look to replace sworn officers at toll booths with “reserve staff” and trial new “investigation support units” made up of administrative staff, including former officers, to handle post-arrest paperwork. If successful, these changes would expand statewide.

Bush also said the “focus will be on retention and return to work,” noting that about 700 of the nearly 22,000 police, protective service and public sector personnel receive workers’ compensation, mostly for mental health injuries.

“Part of the reason for this is that we overburden them with bureaucracy and duplicate systems, making their jobs difficult,” he said. “We really want them back.”

A new state crime coordination center will be established in the first half of 2026 to bring together intelligence, data and operational resources under one roof. It will operate 24/7, using technology to detect related crimes, uncover patterns and provide real-time information to officers in the field.

Another review will begin early next year and recommend further structural changes.

Bush said it had been “more than 10 years” since the police last underwent such a “significant restructuring” but said he was confident it would lead to “a much more effective service that will reduce crime and harm and increase public trust.”

Asked Monday whether he supports mandatory sentencing, Bush said there should be “consequences” for serious crimes.

“Knowing what that looks like is important for deterrence, and there has to be consistency,” he said. “If you’re going to commit a serious crime, if you’re going to cause serious harm to others, you need to know what’s going to happen to you.”