A crime spike in Ballarat and a staffing shortage has rendered Victoria police under-manned, with opposing plans revealed by Labor and the Coalition.
What happened? There is a notable shortage in the Victorian police force, with approximately 1,500 vacant positions.
Some have attributed the shortage to mass burnout among the force and a lack of resources.
At the end of 2025, just under 500 officers departed the force. This was to cash in on a deal that expired on December 31 of the same year that allowed officers to cash in on 12 months of unused personal leave, on medical grounds, if they retired.
In July, hundreds of retired police officers volunteered to re-join the force to ease pressure. The retired officers are joining as “reservists”, performing administrative duties, handling evidence in preparation for court cases and staffing police stations.
What they said: A Victoria Police spokesperson told the Brolga it is “embarking on significant organisational reform to reduce bureaucracy and put more police out in the community, including recruiting 400 reservists”.
“This initiative alone will return around 16,000 policing hours to frontline and community-based policing every week, with the first 200 reservist positions to be introduced by December this year.”
Victoria police recently doubled intake at the Academy, with an additional 650 recruits entering training each year, while introducing a new 25-week training program to deliver “street-ready” police.
The numbers: In Ballarat, there has been a significant increase in incidents. Data from the Crime Statistics Agency shows the highest levels since 2019, with an 8.2 percent increase in the last 12 months.
Car theft is the most common offence in the city.
The bigger picture: In the run-up to the state election, both major parties have put forward plans to deal with the shortage.
Victorian Labor has said it will recruit an extra 1,500 police officers, as well as open a new academy and invest in ADF veterans.
The Liberal-National Coalition has said it will recruit an additional 3,000 police officers, with half sourced outside of Victoria in Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
What people said: Juliana Addison, Labor MP for Wendouree, told the Brolga “everyone deserves to feel safe in Ballarat”. Addison said Labor had provided Ballarat with “more than 230 additional police officers”, but added there was still work to do.
"Only Labor has a real plan to strengthen Victoria Police, with 1,500 new officers. Every extra officer on shift means more police on the beat, faster response times and safer communities,” Addison said.
Martha Haylett, the Labor MP for Ripon, told the Brolga there are more police resources in Ballarat “than ever before”, stating “local cops do an incredible job.”
“So many of them are known by name in Smythesdale, Linton, Creswick, and surrounding suburbs,” Haylett said. “I know our local police have also been cracking down on car thefts and other crimes around Ballarat and are taking these issues really seriously.”
Ellen Burns, the Greens candidate for Wendouree, said the police force experienced high turnover with officers leaving due to stress, burnout and the mental health impacts of dealing with violence on a daily basis.
“I believe we need to focus on preventative measures and increased support and training for our police force,” said Burns, who recently attended the Central Highlands Integrated Family Violence Committee.
“One attendee remarked that since the discussion around more police presence needed on the streets, it had been harder to contact them via the phone or speak to anyone at the station as they were all out on the streets for increased visibility,” Burns told the Brolga. “Police need to be left to do their job.”
The Brolga has contacted Emma Muir, the Liberal candidate for Eureka and Michaela Settle, the Labor MP for Eureka for comment.
Header Image: Victoria Police