A Safer Victoria
Safe streets and towns are essential to making Victoria the best place to live and raise a family.
Victoria currently has a record number of police officers working to keep our communities safe and crime rates have fallen.
Our crime rate has declined 23 per cent since 2000-01 and is the lowest in more than a decade. The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services 2006 found Victoria had the highest community satisfaction with policing services. The ABS Crime and Safety statistics for 2005 show Victoria has the lowest level of victimisation in mainland Australia.
The State Labor Government has delivered more than 1,600 additional police officers over two terms of Government and will recruit more then 300 police officers over 4 years – this is more police than were promised when we were elected.
We have funded the construction and refurbishment of over 140 police stations across the Victoria.
We are ensuring Victoria’s police are better resourced. More funding has been provided for key law enforcement initiatives such as Operation Purana and increasing Victoria Police’s forensic capacity, and the Government has created a new Office of Police Integrity to oversee police conduct.
We’re also getting tough on the crimes that concern our community. Tougher asset confiscation laws have been introduced and new laws to confiscate the cars of hoon drivers. There is now random testing for drug driving, and we are devoting more resources to reducing family violence and graffiti vandalism.
Maximum penalties have been increased for offences such as large commercial drug trafficking, possession of child pornography, and hit and run driving.
"The State Labor Government has delivered more than 1,600 additional police officers over two terms of Government and will recruit more then 300 police officers over 4 years"
Funding where its needed
We have responded to the threat of terrorism by investing over $150 million to enhance Victoria’s counter terrorism capability.
The State Labor Government has invested heavily in our emergency services. Over $400 million has been invested in state of the art technology so that our emergency services can communicate effectively in an emergency.
More than $250 million extra has been invested in the Country Fire Authority, delivering more firefighters, more fire trucks and new stations, and more training. We have ensured that our justice system is accessible and responsive by improving court security and technology, increasing funding to legal aid and opening five new community legal centres.
We have made our justice system more effective by establishing Family Violence Courts, Koori Courts and the Drug Court, abolishing the provocation defence for homicide, and we are overhauling the law to make legal processes more
responsive to the needs of victims of sexual offences.
In addition we have established the Sentencing Advisory Council to ensure that the community, including victims of crime, has a say in sentencing reforms, and Victoria has become the first State in Australia to introduce a Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities to ensure that rights people take for granted are protected and that governments in future value the rights of all Victorians. the Victorian racing industry from interstate and overseas wagering operators.