The Nationals’ Member for Northern Victoria Gaelle Broad has called for more police in Northern Victoria, as the latest crime figures were released.
Ms Broad raised the issue in the last sitting week of Parliament, saying there were currently 1400 vacancies on Victoria Police rosters and over 40 police stations, including Castlemaine and Kyneton, on reduced opening hours.
“I spoke with a police officer recently who said there were no funds available for them to order name badges and there were delays ordering drug tests, as money had run out.
“Yet, just ahead of the state election, I was advised that Victoria Police are running a statewide operation known as 90 Days of Activation.”
Ms Broad said the operation included extra frontline police to patrol key areas in Bendigo, such as the Marketplace shopping centre, railway precinct, CBD and Rosalind Park.
Ms Broad asked the Minister why there was an increase in police patrols just ahead of the state election, when local residents had been calling for a greater police presence for years.
New data from the independent Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) showed total recorded offences have increased by 29 per cent across the state since December 2022. That is 141,560 more offences per year, or around 388 more offences recorded each day.
The statistics showed the following increases in Greater Bendigo from June 2025 to June 2026:
- Family violence serious assault – up 50 per cent;
- Total serious assault – up 22 per cent and;
- Prohibited weapons offences – up 57 per cent.
Overall crime has risen in some other local government areas across Northern Victoria, including Alpine Shire (up 18%), Buloke (up 37%), Macedon Ranges (up 6%), Mount Alexander (up 8%), Murrindindi (up 28%), Swan Hill (up 11%) and Towong (up 11%).
Ms Broad said The Nationals in government were committed to recruiting 3,000 more police and reopening more than 40 police stations that Labor had closed or cut back.
“The Nationals will also recruit 200 additional PSOs; implement real Adult Crime, Adult Time laws – including for arson and motor vehicle theft; introduce a tough new one-strike rule for bail; establish a new Court of Criminal Appeal – with specialist new judges to enforce our tough laws; and invest in proven early intervention and rehabilitation programs.
“Labor has been soft on crime for 12 years and it’s time for a change,” Ms Broad said.
