Strategic priority: Investigate

Victoria Police is committed to continuous improvement of our cybercrime investigation practices to adapt to emerging needs.

Approaches to investigation need to respond to new technology and the evolution of cybercrime to effectively prosecute cyber-dependent and technology enabled crime.

Victoria Police will continue to focus on its policing capabilities to respond to cybercrime—from frontline members to specialist units.

A renewed focus in specialist knowledge, skills and policing techniques will be complemented by a dedicated investment in digital forensic technology across the organisation, given the increasing importance of digital evidence to so many crimes. For example, a smart phone might contain evidence of the crime, it might place an offender at a crime scene or exonerate them.

Our role

Victoria Police has responsibility for investigating cybercrime committed against the Victorian community, whether by Victorians or those elsewhere.

It is our job to carry out the policing mission in Victoria's Cyber Strategy 2021 and support the National Plan to Combat Cybercrime.

We will enhance how Victoria Police pursues investigative activities (including evidence gathering) for cybercrime to maximise the impact on cybercrime and provide better outcomes for victims.

We will continuously improve our approaches to emerging technical challenges such as cryptocurrencies, encryption, darknets and other advancements.

When 128 Victorian schools and kindergartens were targeted by hoax bomb and active shooter phone calls, Victoria Police made the crucial break in the investigation to disrupt a global campaign of over 2,500 threatening calls worldwide.

The calls used encrypted communications and faked local phone numbers. They targeted schools, commercial airlines, police stations, hospitals and other businesses resulting in enormous costs and psychological harm, including evacuations of over 40,000 students and staff around Victoria, halt of businesses, and diversion of commercial flights.

Victoria Police cybercrime investigators worked closely with our national and international partners to investigate.

Using innovative investigative techniques and specialist capabilities, and working with overseas service providers, Victoria Police identified a vendor selling threats-as-aservice on the darknet, the services used, call recordings online, and the offender located overseas.

Victoria Police provided this evidence to the overseas police cyber unit, resulting in the arrest and successful prosecution of the offender and stopping the calls worldwide.

We will...

Continue to build the cybercrime capabilities of our workforce.
Pursue investigations into cybercrime that targets Victoria, whether by Victorians or those elsewhere. We will identify cybercrime causing most harm to communities and design investigations for greatest impact.
Partner with other law enforcement agencies to support contemporary, coordinated and responsive investigative practice.
Continue to invest in our specialist capabilities through targeted, alternative recruitment pathways and professional development strategies, and where appropriate, draw on our partnerships to support this process.
Ensure our investments in technology and infrastructure support contemporary investigative practice across the organisation.

So that...

Cybercrime investigations are efficient, targeted and outcomes-focused.

What will success look like?

Victoria Police pursue targeted, efficient and outcomes-focused cybercrime investigations.
Victoria Police has the right capability, infrastructure and technology to investigate cybercrime and support successful prosecutions.

Updated 15 November 2022