Thursday, 8 February 2024

Community safety

Brad BATTIN (Berwick) (14:29): My question is to the Minister for Police. Crime continues to rise in Victoria under this Labor government. Crime Statistics Agency data has revealed that home invasions have increased by a third over the past 12 months. Why is the minister failing to keep people safe in their own homes?

Anthony CARBINES (Ivanhoe – Minister for Police, Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Racing) (14:30): I note that in the past day or so the Australian Bureau of Statistics have released figures that Victoria continues to have lower offence rates than the national average. Not only that, but our youth crime rate, the youth offence rate here in Victoria, is lower than in New South Wales. I would point out again also that our crime prevention programs have seen a 29 per cent drop in those young people that need support and are making sure that they do not reoffend and that when they do reoffend they are much less serious crimes.

You cannot have some 3000 arrests without things like Operation Trinity, which has been cracking down of course on those aggravated burglaries that have been occurring in the community, and there is also Operation Alliance, which has been disrupting and dismantling youth gangs in our community ‍– 3000 arrests across Operation Trinity and Operation Alliance in our community. That just goes to show that Victoria Police are holding to account those who commit offences, demonstrating also the $100 million that the Andrews and Allan Labor governments have been investing in – 950-odd crime prevention programs to support young people. It has also demonstrated a continued increase, with the $100 million and 950 programs that have supported young people and supported those who need help to get their lives back on track.

We do not resile from the fact that you can only run operations like Trinity and Alliance to crack down on aggravated burglaries, to crack down on youth gangs, when you invest in Victoria Police – a $4.5 billion investment in Victoria Police so they can put the resources where they are needed most to target crime where it is happening in our community. That is what we have been able to do through our investment in 3600 additional funded police here in Victoria. Those opposite not only cut the police budget by $100 million, they did not fund one additional police officer in their time in office – not one. The police academy out there in Glen Waverley is full. The police academy is full.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Members will cease interjecting across the chamber. Member for Berwick, you asked the question. I hope you will listen to the answer. The Minister for Police to continue without assistance.

Anthony CARBINES: We have always made sure on this side of the house that we give the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police the tools they need to do the job. Every Victorian knows 24/7 that there are the police available to support them in emergencies in particular, to ring 000, and emergency response is always available because police 24/7 are available to serve our community.

And we take this opportunity to thank every member of Victoria Police for the work that they do, every day, every night, 365 days of the year – Victoria Police from the smallest single-person operations in stations in the regional and remote communities in Victoria to our big cities and suburbs. It is Victoria Police who put their lives on the line to keep Victorians safe. They make that commitment wholesomely and fulsomely, and we congratulate them and we thank them again for their work. We should always understand that it is the Allan Labor government that continues to invest in Victoria Police and ensure that they have the tools they need to do the job.

Brad BATTIN (Berwick) (14:33): The Productivity Commission data shows that operational sworn Victoria police per 100,000 people have decreased, while non-operational staff have increased by 23.5 per cent. At a time when Victorians are facing a surge in home invasions, why is Labor cutting frontline police officers in Victoria?

Anthony CARBINES (Ivanhoe – Minister for Police, Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Racing) (14:34): Community safety remains the number one priority of the Allan Labor government. In each and every one of our communities we cannot have 3000 arrests out there in our community around Operation Trinity and Operation Alliance, which deal with youth gangs and deal with aggravated burglaries, unless the chief commissioner has the tools to deploy those resources where he needs them most. They are operational decisions. He makes them, he does them well and we are seeing the results in the arrests that are being made in –

Brad Battin: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance in relation to the police cut in numbers here in Victoria, which is 3 per cent, I am more than happy to make available to the house the actual statistics from the Victoria Police annual report, which shows a decrease in Victoria Police numbers here in Victoria.

The SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, member for Berwick.

Anthony CARBINES: The Made for More campaign funded by the Allan Labor government is asking more Victorians than ever before to make a commitment to serve their community and join Victoria Police, and I am pleased to say more and more Victorians are taking up the call, deciding to serve their communities at Victoria Police. That is why the academy is full. That is why every fortnight, when I get the opportunity, I am out at the academy to welcome those new graduates who have committed themselves to work on the front line to support communities and put their communities first. We thank them every day for the work that they do and the results that they are achieving in their communities, and we will continue to give them every resource and every bit of legislation that they need to keep Victorians safe.