Victoria Police Annual Report 2024–25: Our organisation

Victoria Police was established in 1853 and provides policing services to the Victorian community 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Our mission is to keep everyone safe.

Our vision

Our vision is for a community in which:

everyone is safe and feels safe
those affected by crime feel supported
those who break the law are held to account
police work with the community and our partners to prevent crime, reduce harm and build a better, safer Victoria.

Our role

Our role, as defined by the Victoria Police Act 2013, is to serve the Victorian community and uphold the law to promote a safe, secure, and orderly society.

We achieve this by:

preserving the peace
protecting life and property
preventing the commission of offences
detecting and apprehending offenders
helping those in need of assistance.

Our values

Our organisational values underpin our policies, procedures, and practices and how employees interact with the community and each other.

As at 30 June 2025, the values were:

Respect
Everyone is treated fairly and with dignity and feels valued and included.
Leadership
Being people-focused, confident but still humble and committed to living our values.
Professionalism
Being accountable, transparent and committed to maintaining the highest standards of conduct.
Support
Having empathy and being genuinely committed to responding to the needs and wellbeing of others.
Integrity
Acting with honour, being fair and respectful of both the law and human rights.
Safety
Safety is at the heart of our purpose, it is fundamental to, and underpins, everything we do.
Flexibility
Providing a service that is agile and evolves with the community’s needs.

Our services

Our services include:

responding to calls for assistance in matters of personal and public safety, emergencies, and serious incidents
preventing crime through a range of proactive community safety programs
detecting and investigating offences and bringing to justice those responsible for committing them
providing a visible presence within the community and at major events
supporting the judicial process to achieving efficient and effective court case management, providing safe custody for alleged offenders, supporting victims, and ensuring fair and equitable treatment of victims and offenders
providing professional prosecution services to support judicial proceedings
assisting coroners with their investigations into deaths and fires, and supporting to our members who are investigating matters on behalf of coroners
managing and support major emergency responses with other agencies
promoting safe road-user behaviour
conducting private security and firearms licensing
conducting national police record and fingerprint checks.

Find further information about our services and regional maps.

Victoria Police regions

We provide policing services to the Victorian community 24 hours a day, seven days a week across the following four regions:

North West Metro Region: encompassing inner western and northern areas of Melbourne, across five divisions.

Southern Metro Region: aligned to the southern metropolitan region, across four divisions.

Eastern Region: a geographically-diverse region, incorporating metropolitan, rural, and alpine areas, across six divisions.

Western Region: the largest geographic area covering 60 per cent of the state, across six divisions.

These regional boundaries correspond with other Victorian Government departments, enhancing the delivery of government services, particularly in emergency management.

Map of Victoria regions

Victoria Police divisional regions, North West Metro region, Southern Metro region, Eastern region and Western region.

Download 'Map of Victoria regions'

Our operating environment

Victoria Police operates under the Victoria Police Act. Disclosures required under the Act and other legislation, as well as additional reporting requirements, are presented in Chapter 5 – Other disclosures.

Our organisational structure

Four Deputy Commissioners and two Deputy Secretaries support the Chief Commissioner of Police.

The Deputy Commissioner, Regional Operations, is responsible for the oversight of:
- all four police regions, and,
- the State Emergencies and Support Command.
The Deputy Commissioner, Specialist Operations, is responsible for the oversight of the:
- Family Violence Command
- Forensic Services Department
- Legal Services Department, and,
- Road Policing Command.
The Deputy Commissioner, Public Safety and Security, is responsible for the oversight of the:
- Counter Terrorism Command
- Crime Command
- Intelligence and Covert Support Command
- Transit and Public Safety Command, and,
- Reliever and Special References.
The Deputy Commissioner, Capability, is responsible for the oversight of the:
- Capability Department
- Media, Communications and Engagement Department
- People Development Command
- Professional Standards Command, and,
- Service Delivery Transformation Command.
The Deputy Secretary, Corporate and Regulatory Services, is responsible for the oversight of the:
- Financial Services Department
- Investment, Governance and Assurance Department
- Human Resources Command
- Regulatory Services Department, and,
- Police Enquiry and Data Sharing Department.
The Deputy Secretary, Information Technology and Infrastructure Services, is responsible for the oversight of the:
- Digital Services and Security Department, and,
- Operational Infrastructure Department.

Organisational chart as at 30 June 2025

An organisational chart structured vertically showing visually the information which is set out in text in Our organisational structure.

Download 'Organisational chart as at 30 June 2025'

Senior leadership group

Executive Command Board

The Executive Command Board comprises the Chief Commissioner of Police, all Deputy Commissioners and Deputy Secretaries, and is the primary decision-making body for Victoria Police.

The board is responsible for providing leadership, strategic direction and oversight for the organisation, setting culture and modelling Victoria Police values.

As at 30 June 2025, the members of the Executive Command Board were:

Mike Bush CNZM: Chief Commissioner of Police
Robert (Bob) Hill APM: Deputy Commissioner, Regional Operations
Chris Gilbert APM: Acting Deputy Commissioner, Specialist Operations
Wendy Steendam AM APM: Deputy Commissioner, Public Safety and Security
Elizabeth Murphy: Acting Deputy Commissioner, Capability
David Butler: Acting Deputy Secretary, Corporate and Regulatory Services
Karl Kent OAM: Deputy Secretary, Information Technology and Infrastructure Services.

Command is made up of the:
- Chief Commissioner of Police
- Deputy Commissioners
- Deputy Secretaries
- Assistant Commissioners
- Executive Directors
- Commanders, and,
- Directors.
Command meets several times a year to discuss current and emerging community and organisational issues.
The Chief Commissioner of Police is the Chief Constable and the Chief Executive Officer of Victoria Police under the Victoria Police Act and the Public Administration Act 2004 respectively.
The Chief Commissioner of Police may delegate duties, functions and powers to employees at differing ranks and levels.
Decision-making occurs through Instruments of Delegation and through functional lines across the organisational and governance structures, as set out and approved by the Chief Commissioner of Police.

Committees

Victoria Police’s governance structure includes standing executive, corporate and advisory committees that support decision making, risk management and organisational performance.

For 2024–25, the key committees are listed in the table below.

Decision-making committees

Committee	Focus
Executive Command Board ^(a) – meets weekly on contemporary issues and meets monthly on strategic issues	Primary decision-making and oversight body for Victoria Police on matters that have organisation-wide impacts including, but not limited to, strategic and long-term priorities, new policy and strategic projects, financial and resourcing matters, risk management, major investment, and organisational reform.
Asset Strategy Committee – meets every three months	Provides oversight and governance of the strategic direction and policy priorities of asset management for Victoria Police. Enhances asset management maturity and capability by approving the Asset Management Strategy, endorsing Asset Management Plans for each asset class, and supporting improvement initiatives. The governance function also helps the Chief Commissioner of Police and Audit and Risk Committee to fulfill their responsibilities under the Victorian Government Asset Management Accountability Framework.
Digital Transformation Committee – meets every two months	Provides oversight and advice on enterprise information management and security-related priorities, governance, risk management and compliance with organisational and government Information Management Frameworks, policies, strategic direction, and associated standards.
First Peoples Committee ^(b) – meets every three months	Provides oversight for the implementation, delivery, monitoring and acquittal of the actions outlined in the Chief Commissioner’s Statement of Commitment. This statement, made in May 2023, sets out areas where Victoria Police will act until the end of 2025. The committee is co-chaired by the Deputy Commissioner, Capability and the co-chair of the Aboriginal Justice Caucus.
Operations Committee – meets every three months	Provides a risk-based approach to identifying, coordinating, and responding to significant community safety issues with a progressive focus on developing policing services.
Police Procurement Board – meets every two months	Ensures that procurement activity efficient and conducted in accordance with the commercial policy, processes and practices prescribed by the Financial Management Act 1994 and Victorian Government Purchasing Board. Ensures the procurement strategy delivers effective outcomes that support organisational requirements and drives value.
Safety, People and Culture Committee – meets every two months	Oversees safety and people and culture-related priorities, initiatives, and projects. Provides strategic direction regarding the development of safety, people and culture-related policies, strategies, plans and frameworks. Shapes organisational responses to emerging safety, people and culture-related issues, risks, and trends.
State Tasking and Coordination – meets monthly	Leads the state-level tasking and coordination process. Provides an evidence-based, intelligence-led process of prioritising issues, risks and threats, planning effective responses, allocating tasks and coordinating resources to improve community safety.

_Notes:
_{(a) While the board typically meets weekly and monthly, it can meet more frequently, including daily, if needed operationally.}
_{(b) The committee includes independent members.}

Advisory committees

Committee

Focus

Audit and Risk Committee^(a) – meets once every three months (plus one special meeting to review Victoria Police’s annual financial statements)

Required by the Standing Directions 2018 of the Minister for Finance under the Financial Management Act, the committee provides independent assurance and assistance to the Chief Commissioner of Police regarding our financial, risk, control, and compliance frameworks, in addition to our external accountability responsibilities. Maintains effective communication with external auditors and considers recommendations from internal and external auditors.

^Note:
^{(a) The committee includes independent members.}

Oversight and assurance

Audit and Risk Committee

The Audit and Risk Committee is established under the Financial Management Act 1994. Its objective is to provide independent assurance and assistance to the Chief Commissioner of Police in relation to our risk, control and compliance framework, and external accountability responsibilities.

The committee has no executive powers, except those expressly provided by the Standing Directions 2018 (Standing Directions) of the Minister for Finance, and powers that may be delegated to it from time to time by the Chief Commissioner of Police. All committee members are external to Victoria Police.

The Audit and Risk Committee members as of 30 June 2025 were:

Sandra (Sam) Andersen (Chair) LLB CPA FAICD FFin
David Cullen
Stephen Fontana APM
Megan Haas
Ramaswamy (Narayan) Prasad MBA FCPA GAICD.

In accordance with the Standing Directions issued under the Financial Management Act, Victoria Police maintains an internal audit function (Standing Direction 3.2.2 – Internal Audit).
Where the requirement to have an internal audit function arises, internal audit provides independent and objective assessment of the efficacy of the organisation’s governance, risks, and controls. The Standing Direction requires that the internal audit function is independent of management.
Our internal audit function continues as a co-sourced arrangement under a commercial contract with KPMG. In 2024–25, Scyne was appointed as Victoria Police’s secondary-service provider.
Our internal audit program includes compliance and performance reviews, with outcomes and mitigation actions reported to the Executive Command Board and the Audit and Risk Committee.
Victoria Police, external agencies or oversight bodies conduct reviews, audits and inquiries which give recommendations to enhance our business practices.
These reviews generally result in mitigation strategies aimed at addressing the risks identified in the findings.
A range of bodies undertake external reviews of Victoria Police, including:
We may also help in other public inquiries including, but not limited to, Royal Commissions and Parliamentary Inquiries.

Risk management

Under Standing Direction 3.7.1 – Risk Management Framework and Processes, Victoria Police must apply the 2020 Victorian Government Risk Management Framework.

We must consider material risks in decision-making and appropriately manage risk while considering our obligations, constraints, and objectives. Effective risk management enhances service delivery and community safety outcomes.

The Victorian Government Risk Management Framework describes the minimum risk management requirement to demonstrate that risks are managed effectively.

It adopts the ISO 31000:2018 Risk management — Guidelines, an internationally-accepted basis for best practice risk management.

Risk management obligations include the requirement that risk considerations are documented and reflected in the organisation’s overall governance, strategic planning, performance management, financial management and service delivery processes and outcomes.

The Victoria Police Risk Management Framework aligns to the Victorian Government Risk Management Framework and incorporates the Victoria Police Risk Appetite Statement and risk evaluation matrix.

Strategic risks are managed collaboratively and reported on regularly.

The Executive Command Board recognises risk management as an integral part of organisational culture, policies, systems, and processes required to ensure community safety. The Executive Command Board is committed to advancing a positive risk culture to enhance understanding by all employees and contractors.

This will support employees to manage risks in their areas of responsibilities through sound risk management practices.

Updated 31 October 2025

Victoria Police Annual Report 2024–25: Our organisation

On this page

Our vision

Our role

Our values

Respect

Leadership

Professionalism

Support

Integrity

Safety

Flexibility