Criminal incidents on Victoria’s public transport system have risen by almost a fifth to hit a 10-year high, with central Melbourne and the city’s immigrant-dominated outer suburbs the worst affected areas.
Data from Victoria’s Crime Statistics Agency reveals there were 16,373 recorded offences including stabbings and violent assaults across the state’s transport system in 2025 – or a 19% jump on the year prior.
Melbourne’s CBD saw the highest amount of incidents with 2,584 offences, followed by the highly diverse Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Casey, where 42% of the population are foreign-born, with 907 offences, Brimbank (48% foreign born) with 903 offences, Greater Dandenong (63% foreign born) with 854 offences, and Wyndham (48% foreign born) with 772 offences.
The bulk of these offences occurred at train stations, with incidents at Victorian railways stations accounting for two-thirds of the total and stations in Melbourne’s CBD recording the highest amount, followed by stations in Greater Dandenong, Brimbank, Wyndham and Casey.
Criminal offences in railway station carparks also rose 42% between 2024 and 2025 to a total of 2,523 incidents, with carparks at stations in the Casey LGA such as Cranbourne and Berwick the worst affected.
Trams were considered the safest mode of public transport, with some 500 incidents recorded on trams or at tram-stops as per the data.
These data comes after a number of shocking incidents railway stations, including the alleged murder of Good Samaritan Aidan Becker by machete-wielding youths at Mernda station in March, and a broader rise in crime, with the state’s criminal offence rate up 2.4% last year to 8,885 offences per 100,000 people.
A spokesman for Victoria Police told the Herald Sun the state’s Protective Service Officers (PSOs) were conducting more patrols at railways stations in an effort to further curb crime.
“Victoria Police has introduced a more agile, impressive, inspirational way to deploy protective services officers on Melbourne’s train system…[which]…includes an extended PSO presence at 32 busier railway stations and known hotspots with patrols from approximately 9am,” the spokesman said.
The force is further responding to the increase by using “intelligence-informed” and better “targeted” policing in a bid to more effectively address the rise in crime seen across the system, including crime spikes in the midmorning and afternoon.
These statements come after a prior shift in the deployment of PSOs by Victorian authorities to the state’s shopping malls after a wave of anti-social behaviour, retail theft and knife crime in the state’s shopping centres.
Operation Pulse, which began in December last year and has had nearly $9 million invested in it, has seen police and PSOs placed at shopping malls across Melbourne including Northland and Highpoint, and has led to over 450 arrests and 100 weapons seized as of March this year.
“Operation Pulse is delivering results – Victoria Police is stopping crime before it begins, responding quickly and removing dangerous weapons before they can be used”, said Victorian Minister for Police Anthony Carbines.
Header image: An African thug attacks two passengers on a Victorian train (Victoria Police).
