CRIME continues to rise in Victoria, predominantly in towns which have lost 24-hour police stations, sparking debate on the distribution and recruitment of the police force.
Figures from the Crime Statistics Agency show in 2025, The City of Whittlesea (CoW) experienced a 7.7 per cent increase in crime from the previous year, the Macedon Ranges were up 3.4 per cent and the Mitchell Shire surprisingly took a 0.8 per cent decrease.
Although it might seem positive for the Mitchell Shire, over the last five years straight, the level of unsolved cases has grown by 15 per cent, including an increase year by year spotlighting the number of getaways that police can’t catch.
Beveridge is potentially pushing for their own police station with crime statistics growing from 121 incidents in 2021 to 524 last year, an alarming figure of 333 per cent growth within just five years for the growing community.
Across the mentioned council groups, 1568 burglary offences were recorded in 2025, with a majority of them in Epping, which saw their police station hours reduced in 2023-2024, and has now seen a 63 per cent increase in home burglaries in just two years.
The Whittlesea Police Service Area Eyewatch Facebook page sent out a short video stating if officers are in the station, they can’t be out on the street patrolling.
The video looked to prove a point about the open hours of the stations within the area, but in relation to the stats, that video seemingly backfires.
According to the Herald Sun, stations that locked their doors from the neighbourhood overnight saw crime rise by 22 per cent compared to stations that didn’t, which saw a 15 per cent increase.
On top of that, the neighbourhoods who were promised more police patrols after local station hours, showed a net loss of 87 officers in the past three years compared to the stations who stayed open, who gained 99 more officers in that time.
Pushing for more police is the number one priority for the Member for Northern Victoria Annabelle Cleeland and Shadow Police and Corrections Minister Brad Battin.
Last Wednesday they both visited the Kilmore Police Station to talk to some of the local officers about what an increase in staff would help contribute to.
The Kilmore Police Station reception is open on Tuesdays only, Whittlesea’s is open “when rosters allow” and Mernda’s just transitioned from five days a week to two days a week with limited hours.
Police stations across the community are slowly starting to lose hours, prompting Ms Cleeland and Mr Battin to introduce an additional 3000 police officers if elected.
The closing of stations has major impacts, especially on growing populations like Kilmore, Seymour and Whittlesea.
“Across our region, communities are growing but police resources are not keeping pace,” Ms Cleeland said.
“We have seen police station hours reduced, fewer officers available and growing communities expected to make do with less. That simply isn’t good enough,”
Ms Cleeland said regional Victorians should not be expected to accept reduced services simply because they live outside Melbourne.
“Whether you live in Kilmore, Broadford, Benalla, Seymour, Heathcote, Euroa or Violet Town, you deserve to feel safe and know help is available when you need it.”
Mr Battin said rebuilding Victoria Police was critical to restoring community safety.
“Victoria is facing a crime crisis. Crime is up, police numbers are down, and communities are paying the price,” he said.
“More police mean more officers on the beat, stronger local stations, faster response times and safer communities.”
But the Member for Northern Victoria, Jaclyn Symes, says that the current government back the police commissioners’ plan to get more officers out of stations and back on the street.
“We’ve built the biggest police force in Australia and applications for new members are up at record highs,” she said.
“We back the Chief Commissioner’s plan to get more officers out from behind desks and onto the streets – boosting visible policing where communities need it most.”
Victoria Police recently received the highest number of police applications in five years and now have more applications on hand than any other Australian jurisdiction.
Although there is a record number of applications, and the state holds the biggest police force in Australia, there seems to be a lot more stations closing than ever before, pushing for a major rise in numbers.
It builds tensions for the upcoming state election which could sway either way or potentially head in the direction of a different party.