Tracking Victoria Police data over time to investigate systemic racism
Based on extensive FOI applications to obtain Victoria Police data, this anti-racism, transparency Project breaks the silence by making data and analysis public.
Despite a 2015 ban on racial profiling, Victoria Police search data (2018- 2024) reveals consistent racial profiling against people police perceive to be African, Middle-Eastern/Mediterranean, Indian and Asian.
Despite the Chief Commissioner’s commitment to end systemic racism, in 2024, people the police perceive to be Aboriginal are subject to police searches at a rate roughly 16 times higher, relative to estimated population share, than people the police perceived to be White. Furthermore, people perceived to be Aboriginal Victorian are subject to the use of force at a rate roughly 10 times higher, relative to estimated population size than White Victorians.
In 2024, Victoria Police were more likely to search African, Middle-Eastern and Pacific Islander Victorians than White Victorians. Victoria Police were also more likely to use force against these groups than White Victorians.
