{{short description|none}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}} {{use Australian English|date=March 2021}} {{Infobox Uniform Crime Reports |city_name = Victoria |year = 2025 |homicide = 3.1 |rape=70.5 |robbery = 45.5 |aggravated_assault=676.7 |burglary = 571.2 |larceny_theft = 2602.8 |motor_vehicle_theft =307.4 |arson =455.9 |source_name = Crime Statistics Agency Victoria |source_url = https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/ }}
Criminal activity in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Australia]] is addressed by [[Victoria Police]], the Victorian court system, and community-based initiatives. The Crime Statistics Agency compiles and publishes quarterly updates on recorded offences, victim reports, and offender incidents.
In the year ending 31 March 2025, Victoria recorded a total of 474,937 criminal incidents,{{refn|group="A"|Distinct events reported to police, which may include multiple offences.}} an increase of 20.1% from the previous year. The number of offences rose by 17.1% to 627,268, while alleged offender incidents increased by 19.4%. Reports involving person victims rose by 20.1%, and family violence incidents increased by 10.7%. Incidents involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also rose significantly, with alleged offender incidents up 36.2% in the year to March 2025.<ref name="stats">{{Cite web |last=Crime Statistics Agency Victoria |first=State Government of Victoria |date=2025-06-19 |title=Recorded Offences |url=https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/crime-statistics/latest-victorian-crime-data/recorded-offences-2 |access-date=2025-09-01 |website=www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au |language=en}}</ref>
The [[Local government areas of Victoria|Local Government Areas]] (LGAs) with the highest criminal incident rates were:
* [[City of Melbourne|Melbourne]] – 17,792.1 incidents per 100,000 residents ({{IncreaseNegative}}21.3%) * [[City of Yarra|Yarra]] – 12,767.2 ({{IncreaseNegative}}22.6%) * [[City of Latrobe|Latrobe]] – 12,333.8 ({{IncreaseNegative}}10.7%) * [[Rural City of Mildura|Mildura]] – 11,042.5 ({{IncreaseNegative}}4.8%) * [[Rural City of Ararat|Ararat]] – 10,885.3 ({{IncreaseNegative}}25.2%)
The highest offence rates were recorded in:
* Melbourne – 22,955.5 offences per 100,000 residents * Latrobe – 17,287.3 * Yarra – 15,467.9 * [[City of Greater Shepparton|Greater Shepparton]] – 15,046.9 * Ararat – 14,844.4
While some regional LGAs have consistently high [[Crime statistics|crime rates]], Victoria overall has historically maintained a comparatively low crime rate in both national and international contexts. In particular, homicide rates remain lower than in many comparable jurisdictions. During the [[Victoria (Australia)#Colonial Victoria|colonial period]] (1851 to 1901), the most common offence was drunkenness, and by 1907, it accounted for around 40 per cent of all convictions nationwide. Early crime records prior to [[Federation of Australia|Australian Federation]] are considered inconsistent, except for [[homicide]] data, which was more reliably recorded.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=9539|title=Crime Prevention & Community Safety|website=Victoria Police|access-date=29 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/|title=Crime and safety in your area|website=Crime Statistics Agency|access-date=30 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Global Peace Index 2018 |url=http://visionofhumanity.org/app/uploads/2018/06/Global-Peace-Index-2018-2.pdf |website=Visionofhumanity.org |publisher=Institute for Economics and Peace |access-date=9 February 2019 |archive-date=29 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429070743/http://visionofhumanity.org/app/uploads/2018/06/Global-Peace-Index-2018-2.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite news |title=Safe Cities Index: Security in a rapidly urbanising world |url=https://dkf1ato8y5dsg.cloudfront.net/uploads/5/82/safe-cities-index-eng-web.pdf |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=9 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite news |last1=Kerr |first1=Jack |title=Victoria's crime rate has fallen again, figures show |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-20/victoria-crime-rate-down-new-criminal-statistics-agency-figures/10284918 |website=ABC News |date=20 September 2018 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=9 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="crimehistory">{{cite web |last1=Greycar |first1=Adam |title=CRIME IN TWENTIETH CENTURY AUSTRALIA |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4524A092E30E4486CA2569DE00256331 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |date=25 January 2001 |publisher=Australian Government |access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref>
==Crime statistics== The rate of recorded offences in Victoria has fluctuated over the past decade, with notable increases in the most recent reporting periods. According to data from the Crime Statistics Agency, the overall offence rate rose to 8,838.7 per 100,000 people in the year ending March 2025, the highest level since 2017. The largest increases were seen in property and deception offences, which rose sharply from the previous year, as well as crimes against the person and justice procedures offences<ref name="auto1"/>
Offence rates had generally declined between 2017 and 2022, with a notable dip in the immediate post-[[COVID-19 pandemic in Australia|COVID-19]] period. However, the trend has reversed since 2023.<ref name="stats"/>
{|class="wikitable" |+Recorded Offences in Victoria (2016–2025) per 100,000 People – Year Ending March<ref name="stats"/> !Offence !2016 !2017 !2018 !2019 !2020 !2021 !2022 !2023 !2024 !2025 |- |Crimes against the person |1,201.1 |1,261.7 |1,248.0 |1,236.0 |1,252.8 |1,282.9 |1,241.4 |1,244.7 |1,234.8 |1,369.1 |- |Property and deception offences |5,052.2 |5,141.4 |4,476.1 |4,403.4 |4,729.8 |3,864.8 |3,587.1 |3,833.1 |4,288.7 |5,221.8 |- |Drug offences |498.3 |490.3 |445.7 |495.0 |512.7 |609.6 |450.2 |459.2 |438.6 |460.8 |- |Public order and security offences |605.4 |567.1 |540.1 |541.1 |478.2 |477.9 |424.2 |438.7 |396.6 |413.3 |- |Justice procedures offences |1,094.5 |1,114.3 |1,080.8 |1,166.4 |1,201.2 |1,290.7 |1,209.8 |1,287.2 |1,290.5 |1,350.2 |- |Other offences |25.3 |26.1 |26.0 |27.4 |19.3 |591.4 |175.8 |19.1 |25.1 |23.4 |- |'''Grand Total''' |'''8,449.9''' |'''8,600.7''' |'''7,816.6''' |'''7,869.3''' |'''8,194.0''' |'''8,117.5''' |'''7,088.6''' |'''7,282.0''' |'''7,674.4''' |'''8,838.7''' |}
==Massacres of Aboriginal Victorians== {{Main|List of massacres of Indigenous Australians}} Though often not recorded as crimes at the time, numerous crimes were perpetrated against [[Aboriginal Victorians]] throughout the colonial period. Among the most heinous of these crimes were [[List of massacres of Indigenous Australians|massacres]]. The following list tallies the better documented massacres of Aboriginal Victorians. The information provided below is based on ongoing research 'Violence on the Australian Colonial Frontier, 1788–1960' undertaken by the [[Australian Research Council]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://namesofplaces.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=1fca23b6fd87494e8f98ff2e29c71b4b|title=Story Map Journal|website=Namesofplaces.maps.arcgis.com|access-date=13 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Mapping the massacres of Australia's colonial frontier|url=https://www.newcastle.edu.au/newsroom/featured-news/mapping-the-massacres-of-australias-colonial-frontier|website=Newcastle.edu.au|publisher=University of Newcastle|access-date=13 September 2017|language=en|date=5 July 2017}}</ref>
* '''1833–34''' [[Convincing Ground massacre]] – Between 60 and 200 [[Gunditjmara]] men, women and children were reported to have been murdered. Committed on the shore near [[Portland, Victoria]], it was one of the largest recorded massacres in Victoria.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/encounters/Journeys/Robinson/Convincing_Ground.htm | title = Convincing Ground | access-date = 18 May 2007 | author = Clark, Ian D. | year = 1998 | work = Scars in the Landscape: A Register of Massacre Sites in Western Victoria, 1883–1859 | publisher = [[Museum Victoria]] | quote = ... and the whalers having used their guns beat them off and hence called the spot the Convincing Ground. | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181117/http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/encounters/Journeys/Robinson/Convincing_Ground.htm | archive-date = 30 September 2007 | url-status = dead }}</ref> * '''1839''' [[Campaspe Plains massacre]] – Between 40–50 [[Taungurung]] and [[Dja Dja Wurrung]] people were murdered by a group of settlers, led by Charles Hutton at Campaspe Creek, Central Victoria.<ref>Bain Attwood, pp7-9 My Country. A history of the Djadja Wurrung 1837–1864, Monash Publications in History:25, 1999, {{ISSN|0818-0032}}</ref> * '''1839''' [[Murdering Gully massacre]] – Around 35–40 [[Djargurd Wurrung]] people were murdered near Camperdown, Victoria. The massacre was committed by [[Frederick Taylor (colonist)|Frederick Taylor]] and others in retaliation for some sheep being killed.<ref>Ian D. Clark, pp103-118, ''Scars on the Landscape. A Register of Massacre sites in Western Victoria 1803–1859'', Aboriginal Studies Press, 1995 {{ISBN|0-85575-281-5}}</ref> * '''1840–50''' [[Gippsland massacres]] – Between 250 and 1,000 [[Kurnai]] people were murdered during a 13-year period, many of the murders were committed by groups led by [[Angus McMillan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/04/26/1019441303552.html|title=The black watch, and a verdict of history|date=27 April 2002|last=Rule|first=Andrew|newspaper=The Age}}</ref> *'''1840''' [[Fighting Hills massacre]] – Between 20 and 80 [[Jardwadjali]] men, women, and children were murdered by Whyte brothers (William, George, Pringle and James Whyte). Near [[Hamilton, Victoria]].<ref>Fighting Hills massacre: *Ben Kiernan, ''Blood and Soil'', p.300. *Michael Cannon,''Life in the Country,''1978 p.76. *Chris Clark, ''The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles'', Allen & Unwin, 2010 p.16. *{{Cite web|url=http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/encounters/Journeys/Robinson/Fighting_Hills.htm|archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20030712140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/15133/20030713-0000/www.museum.vic.gov.au/encounters/Journeys/Robinson/Fighting_Hills.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 July 2003|title=Museum Victoria [ed-online] Encounters|website=webarchive.nla.gov.au|access-date=17 December 2018}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> *'''1840''' [[Fighting Waterholes massacre]] – The Whyte brothers murdered a further 40 [[Jardwadjali|Konongwootong Gunditj]] people.<ref>Fighting Waterholes massacre: *{{Cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2014/07/10/4043204.htm|title=Western District memorial commemorates Aboriginal massacre|last=partland|first=lily|date=10 July 2014|website=ABC South West Vic|language=en-AU|access-date=17 December 2018}} *{{Cite web|url=https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/detail.php?r=1640|title=Centre For 21st Century Humanities|website=C21ch.newcastle.edu.au|access-date=17 December 2018}}</ref> *'''1843''' [[Warrigal Creek massacre]] – Between 100–150 [[Gunai people|Gunai]] people were murdered by a group of around 20 colonists led by a Scottish colonist and pastoralist, [[Angus McMillan]].<ref>Warrigal Creek massacre: *Ben Kiernan, ''Blood and soil: a world history of genocide and extermination from Sparta to Darfur'', Yale University Press, 2007 p.298 *Michael Cannon, ''Life in the Country: Australia in the Victorian Age,:2'', (1973) Nelson 1978 p.78</ref>
==Convicts== {{Main|Australian Convicts}} Convicts were never directly transported to Victoria, however at least 300 convicts arrived in Sorrento in 1803 as part of [[David Collins (lieutenant governor)|Colonel David Collin]]'s short-lived, first attempt at British settlement in Victoria, in 1804. This first group of convicts also included the famous escaped convict [[William Buckley (convict)|William Buckley]]. Over the following decades small numbers of convicts were sent from Tasmania and New South Wales to carry out government work, surveying and labour.<ref>{{cite web |title=Victoria's early history, 1803–1851 |url=https://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/Victoriasearlyhistory/convicts |website=State Library of Victoria |publisher=Victorian Government |access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref>
==Eureka Stockade== {{Main|Eureka Stockade}} From the 28th of November till the 3 December 1854 the [[Eureka Stockade]] took place in what is now the suburb of [[Eureka, Victoria|Eureka, Ballarat]]. Gold prospectors staged an uprising against the colonial government which lead to an armed conflict; 22 miners and 6 soldiers were killed. The event is significant in Australian history, particularly in regards to the development of democracy.<ref>Corfield, Justin, Wickham, Dorothy, Gervasoni, Clare, [[Ballarat Heritage Services]], ''The Eureka Encyclopaedia'', 2004 {{ISBN|1-876478-61-6}}</ref> In the colony's capital of Melbourne there was enormous support from the public for the captured Eureka rebels, this support was one of the factors that lead to the creation of the [[Electoral Act 1856]], leading to colonists being granted [[male suffrage]], on condition of owning property, in the [[Victorian Legislative Assembly|lower house in the Victorian parliament]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/education/teachers/Documents/Women%27s%20Petition%20Photograph.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110329160732/http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/education/teachers/Documents/Women%27s%20Petition%20Photograph.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 March 2011|title=Women's Suffrage Petition 1894|access-date=13 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Sunterass |first=Anne Beggs |year=2003 |url=http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/lab/85/sunter.html |title=Contested Memories of Eureka: Museum Interpretations of the Eureka Stockade |work=Labour History |publisher=History Cooperative |access-date=22 December 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070426185846/http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/lab/85/sunter.html |archive-date=26 April 2007 |df=dmy }}</ref>
==Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse== {{Main|Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse}} In January 2012 widespread sexual and other abuse of children by personnel in religious organisations was exposed by the [http://childprotectioninquiry.vic.gov.au/ Protecting Victoria's Vulnerable Children Inquiry].<ref>[http://www.childprotectioninquiry.vic.gov.au/report-pvvc-inquiry.html Protecting Victoria's Vulnerable Children Inquiry Report] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215848/http://www.childprotectioninquiry.vic.gov.au/report-pvvc-inquiry.html |date=4 October 2013 }}</ref> The inquiry recommended that a formal investigation should be conducted into the processes by which religious organisations respond to the criminal abuse of children within their organisation.<ref name="Vic-inquiry">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/fcdc/inquiries/57th/Child_Abuse_Inquiry/Final_FCDC_CAinROs_Submission_Guide.pdf |title=Inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations |date=July 2012 |access-date=13 November 2012 |work=Family and Community Development Committee |publisher=Parliament of Victoria |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215726/http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/fcdc/inquiries/57th/Child_Abuse_Inquiry/Final_FCDC_CAinROs_Submission_Guide.pdf |archive-date=4 October 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> In response to the inquires recommendations, the [[Chief Commissioner]] of [[Victoria Police]], [[Ken Lay (police officer)|Ken Lay]] argued that the Roman Catholic Church's attempts to hinder investigations be criminalised.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Lee, Jane |author2=Zwartz, Barney |title=Police slam Catholic Church |work=The Age |location=Australia |date=11 October 2012 |access-date=13 November 2012 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/police-slam-catholic-church-20121010-27dr2.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113114850/http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/police-slam-catholic-church-20121010-27dr2.html |archive-date=13 November 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
Later in 2012, [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[Julia Gillard]], announced the creation of a Royal Commission into sex abuse within the Catholic Church.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/pressure-mounts-for-royal-commission-into-sex-abuse-within-the-catholic-church/story-e6frg6n6-1226514877569 |title=Pressure mounts for Royal Commission into sex abuse within the Catholic Church |author=McGregor, Ken |agency=AAP |work=The Australian |date=12 November 2012 |access-date=13 November 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112073353/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/pressure-mounts-for-royal-commission-into-sex-abuse-within-the-catholic-church/story-e6frg6n6-1226514877569 |archive-date=12 November 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> An estimated 60,000 Australians were abused in churches, schools, sporting clubs and health services, with the majority of the abuse occurring in New South Wales and Victoria.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zivic |first1=Marija |last2=Morgan |first2=Myles |title=Child sexual abuse: 15,000 survivors to receive payouts |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/child-sexual-abuse-15-000-survivors-to-receive-payouts |website=SBS News |publisher=Special Broadcasting Service |access-date=1 March 2019}}</ref> Institutions that failed to respond appropriately or effectively to widespread child sex abuse in Victoria include: the [[Anglican Church of Australia|Anglican Church]], the [[Catholic Church in Australia|Catholic Church]], [[The Salvation Army in Australia|The Salvation Army]], the [[Jehovah’s Witnesses]], [[Australian Christian Churches]], [[Pentecostal Church|Australian Pentecostal churches]], [[Yeshivah Centre, Melbourne|Yeshivah Melbourne]] and the [[Congregation of Christian Brothers#Australia|Christian Brothers]] among others.<ref>{{cite web |title=Religious Institutions |url=https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/religious-institutions |website=Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse |publisher=Australian Government |access-date=1 March 2019}}</ref> The [[Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse]] found that one school run by the Christian Brothers, St Alipius boys school in Ballarat East, was staffed almost entirely by paedophiles.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-06/royal-commission-report-on-ballarat-archdiocese/9231832|title=Catholic Church's 'failure' in Ballarat led to 'suffering, irreparable harm'|date=2017-12-06|work=ABC News|access-date=2017-12-22|language=en-AU}}</ref>
The Royal Commission found many of the worst incidents in Victoria occurred in the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Ballarat]]. One of Australia's most infamous paedophiles, former priest [[Gerald Ridsdale]] was based in Ballarat and protected by church hierarchy, who shifted Ridsdale from parish to parish, between 1961 and 1988, in order to cover-up Ridsdales crimes. Ridsdale was convicted of 138 sex offences against children, he sexually abused as many as 50 children.<ref name=Priests>{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Jane |last2=Donelly |first2=Beau |title=The priests and brothers who preyed on children |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-priests-and-brothers-who-preyed-on-children-20160301-gn72tw.html |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=March 2016 |publisher=Fairfax |access-date=1 March 2019}}</ref>
On 11 December 2018, Ballarat born former [[Cardinal George Pell]], was convicted on five counts of child sexual abuse of two boys in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Farhl |first1=Paul |title=An Australian court's gag order is no match for the Internet, as word gets out about prominent cardinal's conviction |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/an-australian-courts-gag-order-is-no-match-for-the-internet-as-word-gets-out-about-prominent-cardinals-conviction/2018/12/13/5137005c-fef5-11e8-83c0-b06139e540e5_story.html |access-date=16 December 2018 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=13 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-26/george-pell-guilty-child-sexual-abuse-court-trial/10837564 |date=26 February 2019|title=George Pell guilty of sexually abusing choirboys |work=ABC News (Australia)|location=Australia }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Younger |first1=Emma |title=George Pell guilty of sexually abusing choirboys |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-26/george-pell-guilty-child-sexual-abuse-court-trial/10837564 |website=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |location=Australia |access-date=26 February 2019|date=25 February 2019 }}</ref> Pell was eventually acquitted by the High Court of Australia.
=={{anchor|crime in Melbourne}}Melbourne== Despite Melbourne's [[Central business district|CBD]] having the state's highest crime rate (15,949.9)<ref name="auto1"/> the city is considered one of the safest in the world,<ref name="auto"/> with Melbourne being ranked the 5th safest city globally. The notably low crime rate is one of the factors that led to Melbourne being named the world's most liveable city by ''[[The Economist]]'' for seven years in a row up until 2017. The recorded homicide rate of Melbourne was 2.2 per 100,000 in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-16/melbourne-named-worlds-most-liveable-city-for-seventh-year/8812196|title=Melbourne crowned world's most liveable city for record seventh time|first=Stephanie|last=Chalkley-Rhoden|date=16 August 2017|website=ABC News|access-date=13 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=World's most liveable city 2014 is...|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/19/travel/most-liveable-city-2014/|website=Cnn.com|date=19 August 2014 |access-date=2017-01-28}}</ref>
===Notable major crimes and criminal figures===
*'''Squizzy Taylor''' – [[Squizzy Taylor|Joseph Theodore Leslie "Squizzy" Taylor]] was an Australian gangster from [[Fitzroy, Melbourne]]. He was a prominent figure and appeared repeatedly in Melbourne news media. He was involved in the 1919 Melbourne gang war and was eventually shot dead in 1927.<ref>{{cite web |title="SQUIZZY" TAYLOR. THE UNDERWORLD DANDY. CONVICTS HOSTILE |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/41346685 |website=Trove |publisher=National Library of Australia |access-date=10 February 2019}}</ref> *'''John Wren''' – [[John Wren]] was an Australian underworld figure from [[Collingwood, Victoria]]. Wren is best known for being the real life inspiration for the similarly named fictional character, [[John Wren#Power Without Glory|John West]] in Frank Hardy's novel [[Power Without Glory]]. *'''Mark "Chopper" Read''' – [[Mark "Chopper" Read|Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read]] was an Australian criminal, gang member and author. Read wrote a series of semi-autobiographical fictional crime novels and children's books and was the subject of the biographical film [[Chopper (film)|Chopper]], starring [[Eric Bana]]. *'''Russell Street bombing''' – The [[Russell Street bombing]] was a [[car bombing]] that took place in Melbourne's CBD in March 1986. The car bomb was detonated outside the Russell Street Police Headquarters complex in [[Russell Street, Melbourne]]. The blast killed a policewoman and injured 22 others. *'''Hoddle Street massacre''' – The [[Hoddle Street massacre]] was a [[mass shooting]] that took place on a busy main road near the Clifton Hill train station, on [[Hoddle Street, Melbourne|Hoddle Street]], [[Clifton Hill, Victoria|Clifton Hill]]. The shootings resulted in the deaths of seven people, and serious injury to 19 others. [[Julian Knight (murderer)|Julian Knight]], a 19-year-old former [[Australian Army]] [[officer cadet]] was arrested and charged for the shootings.<ref name="abc-2007">{{cite news |title=Hoddle Street killer won't be forgotten |date=10 August 2007 |first=Jane|last=Cowan |newspaper=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-08-09/hoddle-street-killer-wont-be-forgotten/635402}}</ref>
*'''Queen Street Massacre''' – The [[Queen Street massacre]] was a [[Spree killer|spree-killing]] committed by [[Frank Vitkovic]]. The spree-killing occurred on the 8th of December 1987 on [[Queen Street, Melbourne|Queen Street]]. Vitkovic killed 9 people including himself, and injured five others.<ref name="Murphy, Damien 1987, p.6">Murphy, Damien (10 December 1987). "Killer leaves trail of carnage". ''[[The Age]]''. p. 6.</ref> *'''The Pettingill family and the Walsh St killing''' – [[The Pettingill family]] was a notorious Melbourne-based criminal family headed by matriarch [[Kath Pettingill]]. [[Victor Peirce]] and [[Trevor Pettingill]] were accused and acquitted of the 1988 [[Walsh Street police shootings]], with both acquitted along with two fellow defendants. Victor Peirce was later killed in the [[Melbourne gangland killings]]. *'''Mr. Cruel''' – [[Mr Cruel]] was the moniker for an unidentified serial child rapist and suspected murderer who assaulted 3 girls and is the prime suspect in the murder of [[Murder of Karmein Chan|Karmein Chan]]. Mr Cruel was active between 1987 and 1991 and operated within the [[East Melbourne|Eastern Suburbs]] of Melbourne. *'''Melbourne gangland killings''' – The [[Melbourne gangland killings]] were a series of 36 gang related murders committed in Melbourne between January 1998 and August 2010. The murders were widely seen as retributive, involving various Melbourne underworld groups, and mostly took place in the northern suburbs. The majority of the murders are still unsolved. Now deceased underworld figure [[Carl Williams (criminal)|Carl Williams]] has been linked to a significant number of the killings. A number of notorious underworld figures were killed during the conflict including [[Lewis Caine]], [[Mario Condello]], [[Alphonse Gangitano]], [[Charles Hegyalji]], [[Graham Kinniburgh]], [[Desmond Moran]], [[Jason Moran (criminal)|Jason Moran]], [[Lewis Moran]], [[Nik Radev]] and [[Andrew Veniamin]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Carl Williams: Secret Deals and Bargained Justice – The Underworld of Victoria's Plea Bargaining System |last=Flynn |first=A |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/CICrimJust/2007/20.pdf}} (2007) 19(1) Current Issues in Criminal Justice 120.</ref> *'''Monash University shooting''' – The [[Monash University shooting]] was a 2002 shooting in which a 36-year-old international student killed students William Wu and Steven Chan, both 26, and injured five others including the lecturer. It took place at Monash University, in Melbourne, on 21 October 2002. The gunman, Huan Yun Xiang, was acquitted of crimes related to the shootings due to mental impairment, and is currently under psychiatric care. Several of the people present in the room of the shootings were officially commended for their bravery in tackling Xiang and ending the shooting. *'''2014 Endeavour Hills stabbings''' – The [[2014 Endeavour Hills stabbings]] was a knife attack committed by Abdul Numan Haider. Haider attacked two [[counter-terrorism]] police officers with a knife outside the Victoria Police Endeavour Hills [[police station]] before being shot dead.<ref name=time>{{cite magazine|last1=Neubauer|first1=Ian Lloyd|title=A Teenage Terrorism Suspect Is Shot Dead in Australia After Attacking Police|url=https://time.com/3423975/isis-australia-melbourne-police-terrorism-suspect-abdul-numan-haider/|access-date=24 September 2014|magazine=[[TIME]]|date=24 September 2014}}</ref> * '''Death of Patrick Cronin''' – [[Death of Patrick Cronin|Patrick Cronin]], a 19-year-old boy, was killed in a [[Diamond Creek]] pub as he tried to pull his friend out of a brawl that was taking place and was [[Sucker_punch#Australia|coward punched]]. Cronin's killer Andrew William Lee received an eight year prison sentence with a five year non-parole period.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Adam |title=Andrew Lee could walk free in five years after one-punch assault that killed Patrick Cronin |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/andrew-lee-gets-eight-years-for-onepunch-assault-that-killed-patrick-cronin-20171110-gzijkg.html |access-date=18 January 2023 |work=[[The Age]] |date=10 November 2017 |language=en-AU|url-access=limited}}</ref> *'''Dimitrious Gargasoulas – Melbourne car attack''' – The [[January 2017 Melbourne car attack]] was a vehicular attack committed by [[Dimitrious Gargasoulas]] On 20 January 2017. Gargasoulas deliberately drove his vehicle into pedestrians in the CBD of Melbourne. Six people were killed and at least thirty others injured.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/live-pedestrians-hit-gunshots-heard-in-melbourne-cbd-20170120-gtvf3x.html|title=As it happened: CBD horror, four dead, 31 hospitalised as car knocks down pedestrians|first=Craig|last=Butt|date=20 January 2017|website=Theage.com.au|access-date=20 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/01/20/14/03/vic-pedestrians-hurt-in-bourke-st-mall|title=Four dead in man's Melbourne crime spree|website=9news.com|date=20 January 2017 |access-date=20 January 2017}}</ref> Gargasoulas, was subsequently found guilty of six counts of murder. *'''2017 Brighton siege''' – The [[2017 Brighton siege]] was an armed [[siege]] and [[shoot-out]] committed by Yacqub Khayre. Khayre murdered one person and held another hostage in an apartment complex in [[Brighton, Victoria|Brighton]]. The siege ended in a shoot-out with a [[Police Tactical Unit|police tactical unit]], Khayre was killed and three police officers were wounded.<ref>{{cite news|title=Brighton siege: Melbourne police launch terror probe after deadly stand-off with Holsworthy plot gunman|date=6 June 2017|website=ABC News|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-06/islamic-state-claims-responsibility-for-brighton-siege/8591540|access-date=6 June 2017}}</ref> *'''Saeed Noori – Melbourne car attack''' – The [[December 2017 Melbourne car attack]] was a vehicular attack that took place on the corner of Flinders Street and Elizabeth Street in Melbourne's CBD. The attack resulted in the death of one person, and seventeen others were injured. *'''Melbourne stabbing attack''' – The [[2018 Melbourne stabbing attack]] was a vehicular and knife attack committed by a mental impaired man, Hassan Khalif Shire Ali. Shire Ali set his car on fire and [[knife attack|stabbed]] three people, one fatally, in the [[Melbourne City Centre|Central Business District]] of [[Melbourne]], [[Australia]], before being shot and killed by police.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-46147581|title=Melbourne attack: Man shot dead after fire and fatal stabbing|date=2018-11-09|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-11-09|language=en-GB}}</ref> *'''Apex''' – Apex, otherwise known as the [[Apex Gang]], was a term used to describe an informal group of young male criminals accused of being involved in street crime in and around Melbourne in 2015–18. The name was frequently invoked during the "[[African gangs moral panic|African Gang Crisis]]" debate in the media in 2018. The nature and existence of the "gang" was uncertain and many claims regarding the group have been described as exaggerated by police, politicians, journalists and others.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-05/media-coverage-of-african-offenders-skewed-warns-chief-judge/10452172|title=If you're African and in court, 'rest assured your case will be reported on'|first1=Sophie|last1=McNeill|first2=Jeanavive|last2=McGregor|first3=Lucy|last3=Carter|date=5 November 2018|website=ABC News|access-date=13 March 2019}}</ref> Home Affairs Minister [[Peter Dutton]] claimed that Victorians were scared to go to restaurants at night because of "African gang" violence. Victoria Police stated that the group included a diverse range of young people from different ethnic backgrounds, the majority of them born in Australia.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald|url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/victorians-scared-to-go-to-restaurants-at-night-because-of-street-gang-violence-peter-dutton-20180103-h0cvu4.html|title=Victorians scared to go to restaurants at night because of street gang violence: Peter Dutton|date=3 January 2018|access-date=12 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jan/03/peter-dutton-says-victorians-scared-to-go-out-because-of-african-gang-violence|title=Peter Dutton says Victorians scared to go out because of 'African gang violence'|date=3 January 2018|access-date=12 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114052352/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jan/03/peter-dutton-says-victorians-scared-to-go-out-because-of-african-gang-violence|archive-date=14 November 2018|first=Paul|last=Karp}}</ref> *'''Kazem 'Kaz' Hamad - Melbourne tobacco wars''' – The [[Melbourne tobacco wars]] is an ongoing dispute between rival criminal gangs in Melbourne, Australia. The war has seen over 100 arson attacks on convenience stores and tobacconist in Greater Melbourne.<ref name="HUN 17OCT24">{{cite news |last1=Dann |first1=Emily |title=Mickleham convenience store firebombed |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-victoria/mickleham-convenience-store-firebombed/news-story/5382415aa383b2d6834d671fad7aeab4 |access-date=28 October 2024 |work=[[Herald Sun]] |date=27 October 2024 |language=en-AU}}</ref>
==Rural and regional crime==
===Mallee Mafia=== [[The Mallee]] and [[Mildura]] in particular have long been associated with the [[Calabrian Mafia]], with claims made by police in 1966 that annual organised crime meetings were held in Mildura to co-ordinate nationwide criminal activities.<ref>{{cite web |title=Why the Calabrian mafia in Australia is so little recognised and understood |url=https://theconversation.com/why-the-calabrian-mafia-in-australia-is-so-little-recognised-and-understood-50914 |website=The Conversation |date=14 January 2016 |publisher=The Conversation Trust |access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref> In a 1960s [[Direzione Investigativa Antimafia|National Anti-Mafia Directorate]] report by John T. Cusack (United States' Bureau of Narcotics) and Dr Ugo Macera (assistant commissioner of police in Calabria) claims were made that the "ancient Calabrian Secret Criminal Society known as the [[Honoured Society (Australia)|L'Onorata Societa]]" and the "`[[Ndrangheta]]" were operating "throughout the State, with large segments in the fruit growing and farming areas of Mildura and Shepparton" adding that "There are reports the Society has existed in Victoria since 1930". They have reportedly been involved in revenge killings, cannabis production and weapons purchases.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Moor |first1=Keith |title=Secret dossiers probed Godfathers behind Melbourne's mafia bloodshed in the 1960s |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/mafia-deeply-entrenched-in-australia-20100314-q67f.html |website=Sydney Morning Herald |date=14 March 2010 |publisher=Fairfax |access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref>
During the 1980s the Mildura Mafia emerged as a major crime group that dominated marijuana production in Australia and ran an Australia-wide money-laundering network.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Silvester |first1=John |title=I infiltrated the Mafia – but at a terrible cost |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/i-infiltrated-the-mafia--but-at-a-terrible-cost-20160519-goym4t.html |website=The Age |date=20 May 2016 |publisher=Fairfax |access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref> Several notable mafia murders have been linked to the region including the suspected mafia hit on 43-year-old Marco Medici in 1983, police believe the murder may be connected to the assassination of anti-drug crusader [[Donald Mackay (anti-drugs campaigner)|Donald MacKay]] at [[Griffith, New South Wales|Griffith]] in 1977.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Allan |title=Medici murder |url=http://www.sunraysiadaily.com.au/story/2761838/medici-murder/ |website=Sunraysia Daily |publisher=Elliott Newspaper Group PTY Ltd. |access-date=11 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212011111/http://www.sunraysiadaily.com.au/story/2761838/medici-murder/ |archive-date=12 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The 1984 murders of Melbourne gangsters Rocco Medici and Giuseppe Furina are also connected to Mildura through the Medici family. In 1982, 42-year-old Mildura greengrocer Dominic Marafiote and his parents were murdered after Marafiote gave South Australian police the names of Calabrian mafia bosses in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Moor |first1=Keith |title=Mafia's dark secrets |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/mafias-dark-secrets/news-story/ce91692b6445a8b13b8aea062b134140?sv=f12f7ceb747e9669e721cc162596ce6d |website=Herald Sun |publisher=News Limited |access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref> In 2016 Mildura residents Nicola Ciconte, Vincenzo Medici and Michael Calleja were convicted and sentenced in Italy for their role in a plot to smuggle up to 500 kilograms of cocaine into Australia.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Baker |first1=Richard |last2=McKenzie |first2=Nick |last3=McKenna |first3=Jo |title=Italy convicts local Mafia |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/italy-convicts-local-mafia-20120615-20fok.html |website=Sydney Morning Herald |date=15 June 2012 |publisher=Fairfax |access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref><ref>Articles that refer to the Mallee/Mildura mafia connection: *{{cite web |last1=Moor |first1=Keith |title=Police have new leads in the 1984 Calabrian mafia murders of Rocco Medici and Giuseppe Furina |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/true-crime-scene/police-have-new-leads-in-the-1984-calabrian-mafia-murders-of-rocco-medici-and-giuseppe-furina/news-story/64986e17929bd4bb3525ed20c717307b |website=Herald Sun |publisher=News Limited |access-date=11 February 2019}} *{{cite web |last1=Solomons |first1=Mark |title=Drug trafficker owns operation at centre of strawberry scandal |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/drug-trafficker-owns-operation-at-centre-of-strawberry-scandal-20180921-p505b8.html |website=Sydney Morning Herald |date=21 September 2018 |publisher=Fairfax |access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref>
===Rural methamphetamine use=== Beginning in 2010, Victoria has seen a significant increase in the use of [[Methamphetamine]], commonly referred to as ice. While relatively few Australians report using ice compared to other drugs, rates of methamphetamine use are significantly higher among rural and remote areas of Victoria compared to major cities. Rural methamphetamine use rates are 2.5 times higher than those in metropolitan areas. Prior to 2010 rates of use of illicit drugs in rural areas were significantly lower than those in the cities.<ref>Articles about rural ice epidemic: *{{cite web |title=How many people use ice? |url=https://cracksintheice.org.au/how-many-people-use-ice |website=Cracks in the ice |publisher=Australian Government Department of Health |access-date=16 February 2019 }} *{{cite magazine |last1=Verghis |first1=Sharon |title='We Are Ticking Time Bombs': Inside Australia's Meth Crisis |url=https://time.com/4737800/meth-australia-ice-crystal-methamphetamine-methylamphetamine/ |magazine=Time |publisher=Marc & Lynne Benioff |access-date=16 February 2019 }} *{{cite news |last1=King |first1=Charlotte |title=Bikie gang 'hooking rural youth on ice' |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-01/bikie-gang-tied-to-rural-drug-spike/4345668 |website=ABC News |date=31 October 2012 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=16 February 2019 }} *{{cite web |last1=Baker |first1=Richard |last2=McKenzie |first2=Nick |title=Ice use devastating rural Victoria |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/ice-use-devastating-rural-victoria-20130829-2stc7.html |website=The Age |date=29 August 2013 |publisher=Fairfax |access-date=16 February 2019 }} *{{cite web |last1=Thals |first1=Kaitlin |title=Mildura project hailed a 'major success': Ice crush |url=http://www.sunraysiadaily.com.au/story/2625023/mildura-project-hailed-a-major-success-ice-crush/ |website=Sunraysia Daily |publisher=Elliott ok|access-date=16 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217142209/http://www.sunraysiadaily.com.au/story/2625023/mildura-project-hailed-a-major-success-ice-crush/ |archive-date=17 February 2019 |url-status=dead }} *{{cite news |last1=Percy |first1=Karen |title=Government taskforce targets ice trade in Mildura |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-03/ice-under-the-spotlight-in-mildura-as-taskforce-hits-town/6518894 |website=ABC News |date=3 June 2015 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=16 February 2019 }} *{{cite news |last1=Tran |first1=Danny |title=Rural Victoria's ice crisis claims more victims as drugs trash towns |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-01/ice-crisis-havoc-victoria-melbourne-rehabilitation-struggle/10443708 |website=ABC News |date=31 October 2018 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=16 February 2019 }} *{{cite news |last1=Woodburn |first1=Joanna |title=Ice use in rural Australia double that of metropolitan areas, drug report shows |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-31/report-into-ice-use-in-rural-australia/7979752 |website=ABC News |date=31 October 2016 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=16 February 2019 }}</ref>
In 2014, A [[Comancheros (motorcycle club)|Comancheros Motorcycle Club]] member and former Australian Defence Force (ADF) sniper, Joshua Faulkhead, was arrested after being caught transporting large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy between Sydney and Mildura. Faulkhead was sentenced to nine years and five months in jail.<ref>{{cite news |title=Former ADF sniper and Comancheros bikie boss sentenced to nine years' jail for drug trafficking |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-13/adf-sniper-bikie-boss-joshua-faulkhead-jailed-drugs-charges/6849724?site=milduraswanhill |website=ABC News | date=13 October 2015 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Commission |access-date=13 March 2019}}</ref>
In 2015, 20 people were arrested over an alleged large drug trafficking operation in Mildura in north-west Victoria. Methamphetamine, marijuana and ecstasy were seized in the raids. The drugs seized were reported to be worth more than $15,000. $20,000 in cash and weapons were also seized.<ref>{{cite news |title='Ice', cannabis, ecstasy seized in Mildura drug raids|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-14/ice-cannabis-ecstacy-seized-in-mildura-drug-raids/6617520?site=milduraswanhill |website=ABC News | date=14 July 2015 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Commission |access-date=13 March 2019}}</ref> Later that same year, Stephen Gillard and Geoffrey Hitchen from [[South Penrith]], were arrested for possession of $300,000 worth of methamphetamines in scrubland off the Mallee Highway at Tutye, west of Ouyen. Local farmers uncovered plastic fruit juice bottles containing the drugs after noticing the men behaving strangely the previous day.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pair plead guilty over methamphetamines found buried in remote bushland at Tutye near Ouyen |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-18/pair-plead-guilty-over-buried-drugs-at-tutye-near-ouyen/6785798?site=milduraswanhill |website=ABC News | date=18 September 2015 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Commission |access-date=13 March 2019}}</ref>
In 2017, a joint Australian Federal Police (AFP) and United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigation lead to the seizure of $2.4 million in cash at the Mildura Airport, after 255 kilograms crystal methamphetamine were found at a storage facility in Northern California in June. the bust was part of an investigation into an alleged conspiracy to use a light plane to export drugs from the US to Australia. The 72-year-old pilot, a 52-year-old man from Zetland in Sydney's east, and a 58-year-old Melbourne man were charged with conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs and money laundering offences. The crystal methamphetamine was reported to be worth $255 million. That arrests were connected to $2.4 million which was found in Mildura, in a prime mover that was driven from Adelaide in April.<ref>{{cite news |title=Three arrested as police bust alleged conspiracy to fly ice from California to Australia|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-20/arrests-over-california-ice-shipment-bound-for-australia/8727206 |website=ABC News |date=20 July 2017 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Commission |access-date=13 March 2019}}</ref>
== See also == {{Portal|Victoria|Crime }} * [[List of people legally executed in Victoria]] * [[Crime in Australia]] ** [[Crime in New South Wales]] ** [[Crime in Queensland]] ** [[Crime in South Australia]] ** [[Crime in Tasmania]] ** [[Crime in the Australian Capital Territory]] ** [[Crime in the Northern Territory]] ** [[Crime in Western Australia]]
==Notes== {{reflist|group="A"}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/crime-statistics Crime Statistics Agency crime data, including archived data 2004–2014]
{{Australian_crime}}
[[Category:Crime in Melbourne]] [[Category:Crime in Victoria (state)| ]]