Victoria’s crime crisis has already pushed the government into a flurry of reactive measures — from bail reform to tougher sentencing — but its latest move has raised eyebrows across the state. A newly proposed Director of Police Policy and Crime Prevention, commanding a salary approaching $300,000, is being sold as a solution. Yet many see it as an unnecessary, costly layer of bureaucracy that risks undermining the independence of Victoria Police while offering little real benefit to community safety.

At a time when taxpayers are already footing the bill for rising crime and stretched public services, the idea of spending more than a million dollars annually on another high‑level “expert” is sparking anger — especially when proven, community‑focused programs languish and continue to go underfunded or ignored. That these programs actually work has been ignored in favour of what a so-called expert can dream up. Our full analysis explores why this proposal has struck such a nerve, what it means for frontline policing, and the smarter, more effective alternatives the government continues to overlook.

See the full story at https://caainc.org.au/