Victoria Police is set to undergo its most significant restructuring in over a decade, aimed at reducing crime rates and restoring public confidence. The announcement was made by Chief Commissioner Mike Bush on Monday, citing the state’s “major crime problem” and a “lack of trust and confidence” in law enforcement as primary motivators for the overhaul.
“In terms of those two very significant issues, we need to police differently. We need a reset. We need to reorganize ourselves,” Bush told reporters. The restructuring will see a reduction in centralised commands and departments, a decrease in the “administrative burden” on frontline officers, and a cut in the number of deputy commissioners from six to four, with one focusing specifically on crime prevention.
Addressing Rising Crime Rates
The overhaul comes in the wake of alarming crime data released last month, which showed a 13.8% increase in the state’s crime rate year-on-year for 2024-25, with theft identified as the fastest-growing offense. In response, Victoria Police had already set a target to reduce serious and violent crime by 5% annually.
Bush, who took office four months ago after leading the New Zealand police force, expressed surprise upon discovering that uniformed officers were handling reception and call-taking duties at stations. Redeploying these officers to the frontline could result in an additional 1.4 million personnel hours per year, he noted.
Operational Changes and New Initiatives
Victoria Police plans to trial the replacement of sworn officers at counters with “alternate staff” and introduce “investigation support units” composed of administrative personnel, including former officers, to manage post-arrest paperwork. If successful, these initiatives will be implemented statewide.
In addition, a new state crime coordination centre is slated to open in the first half of 2026. This facility will consolidate intelligence, data, and operational resources, functioning 24/7 to provide real-time insights and identify crime patterns for officers in the field.
“We don’t have enough police on the frontline to prevent and respond to calls for service, because the way we’ve organized ourselves has kept a lot of them either in the back room or back at the station completing jobs that someone else should do on their behalf,” Bush said.
Focus on Workforce Well-being
The restructuring also emphasizes workforce well-being, with a focus on retention and return-to-work programs. Currently, about 700 of the approximately 22,000 police, protective service, and public sector staff are on workers’ compensation, predominantly for mental health issues.
“Part of that’s because we’ve overburdened them with bureaucracy, duplicate systems – we’ve made their job tough,” Bush stated. “We really want them back.”
Looking Ahead
Another review is scheduled to begin early next year to propose further structural changes. Bush expressed confidence that these efforts would lead to a “much more effective service to reduce crime and harm and increase public trust and confidence.” He noted that it had been over a decade since the last significant police restructure.
Asked about mandatory sentencing, Bush said, “It’s important for deterrence, to know what that looks like, and there should be consistency. If you’re going to commit a serious crime, commit serious harm against other people, you need to know what’s going to happen to you.”
As Victoria Police embarks on this ambitious overhaul, the state will be watching closely to see if these changes can effectively address the dual challenges of rising crime and eroding public trust.
