Victoria Police has once again come under scrutiny after Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog revealed that complaints involving police officers accounted for nearly two-thirds of all matters reported to the agency last year.
New data released by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC), shows more than 2,300 complaints and notifications relating to Victoria Police were received in 2025, representing about 65 percent of all complaints lodged with the watchdog.
The complaints led to 47 preliminary inquiries and investigations, of which 44 were completed during the year. The matters examined included allegations of excessive force, improper searches, unlawful arrests and the mishandling of family violence incidents.
As a result, IBAC issued 51 recommendations to Victoria Police—three times the 17 recommendations made in 2024.
While Victoria Police implemented 18 recommendations made by IBAC in 2025 and previous years, another 57 remained outstanding at the end of December 2025.
Reforms already adopted include changes to policies, procedures and training, covering areas such as reporting the use of force, record-keeping and post-incident debriefing.
IBAC Deputy Commissioner for Police Oversight Liana Buchanan said the agency’s Focused Police Complaints Team had played a key role in the increase in investigations and recommendations.
The specialist unit investigates complaints from people considered more vulnerable to police misconduct.
“While investigations are crucial to exposing misconduct, it’s vital that we build trust with the community and that people know where to go to raise complaints if they have been mistreated,” Buchanan said.
From Child Assault to Drug Testing Reforms
One of IBAC’s most recent recommendations involved a case where a Victoria Police senior constable assaulted a 12-year-old child in Melbourne’s south in February 2025.
The officer was charged with common assault and later pleaded guilty, although the charge was subsequently dismissed.
Following an investigation, IBAC made two recommendations to Victoria Police aimed at improving practices such as building community trust, particularly through their interactions with vulnerable community members like children.
The watchdog said its recommendations have resulted in a range of reforms over the years.
Previous investigations prompted Victoria Police to expand random drug and alcohol testing of officers, introduce formal custody handover procedures to better protect the rights of people under arrest, strengthen training for misconduct investigators, and update social media policies following findings involving inappropriate online conduct by a senior officer.
Other recommendations have led to operational changes, including improving aftercare procedures for people exposed to pepper spray.
Victoria Police’s Response
Responding to the findings, Victoria Police said it takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and works closely with IBAC.
“We strive to provide a policing service that operates in a way that is highly professional, lawful, responsible, accountable, fair and based on sound ethical behaviour and judgement,” a spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
The agency said officers are expected to meet standards that go beyond legal requirements because of the authority entrusted to them.
“Nobody in Victoria Police is above the law,” the spokesperson said.
“Victoria Police works closely with IBAC to assist its investigations and welcomes this oversight. We also accept the vast majority of IBAC’s recommendations to strengthen our policies and procedures.”
The IBAC report was released against the backdrop of growing concerns about crime in Victoria ahead of the next state election.
Police recorded 473,262 criminal incidents in 2025, up 4 percent from the previous year, while total offences increased by 4.2 percent to 630,592.
The number of alleged offenders also rose sharply, including a 15 percent increase in incidents involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander alleged offenders.
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