Youth Crime Falls in Victoria, But Adult Crime Rises Sharply

Youth crime in Victoria has fallen for the first time in four years, with a 6% decrease in alleged offences involving young people last year. The Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) reported 22,654 such offences in the 12 months to March 2026, marking a significant shift after years of increases since the COVID-19 pandemic.

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We are just starting to go down

Despite this positive trend for youth offending, adult crime saw a substantial rise of 10%. The CSA attributed this increase primarily to more breaches of bail conditions, a surge in retail theft, and a higher number of breaches of family violence orders. The overall crime rate in Victoria experienced a slight decrease of just under 2%.

CSA chief statistician Fiona Dowsley described the figures as a promising sign, suggesting that Victoria's crime wave may have peaked. She noted a 16% fall in burglaries and highlighted that the number of first-time youth offenders has dropped to its lowest rate in over a decade. "We are just starting to go down," Dowsley told ABC Radio Melbourne.

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There's more work to do, but crime is down, youth offending is down and more people are being jailed not bailed.

The government has claimed credit for the reduction in youth crime and burglaries, with Police Minister Anthony Carbines stating, "There's more work to do, but crime is down, youth offending is down and more people are being jailed not bailed." However, both the government and Victoria Police acknowledge that the overall crime rate remains "unacceptably high." Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill emphasized the commitment to addressing this, noting that children are still heavily over-represented in serious and violent crimes like robberies and carjackings.

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While pleasing to see overall crime slightly decrease, the reality is that overall crime in Victoria still remains far higher than both police and the community would like.