Key Findings (based on available data)
During 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024 Victoria Police were consistently less likely to find a reported item when they searched a person they perceived to be African, Middle Eastern/Mediterranean, Indian and Asian compared with people they perceived to be White. This means they are likely to be searching these groups with less reasonable grounds than when they search White people. This is evidence of racial profiling against these groups.
In 2024 Aboriginal Victorians are subject to police searches at a rate roughly sixteen times higher, relative to estimated population size, than White Victorians. People perceived to be African are subject to police searches at a rate roughly nine times higher, relative to estimated population size, than than White people. People perceived as Middle-Eastern were subject to police searches at almost six times the rate of White people, relative to estimated population size. People perceived to be Pacific Islander were subject to a police search at roughly five times the rate of White people relative to estimated population size. This indicates that police are targeting these groups for investigation.
In 2024 Victoria Police subjected people they perceived to be Aboriginal to roughly:
10 times the rate of the use force compared to a person they perceived to be White relative to estimated population size;
10.6 times the rate of the use force against a woman they perceived to be Aboriginal than a woman they perceived to be White, relative to estimated population size;
13 times the rate of Taser use compare people their perceived to be White, relative to estimated population size;
3.4 times the rate of pursuit initiation compared to a person perceived to be White relative to estimated population size.
In 2024, Victoria Police subjected people they perceived to be African people to roughly:
7.2 times the rate of force compared with a person they perceived to be White relative to estimated population size.
6.1 times the rate of taser use compared to a person they perceived to be White, relative to estimated population size.
23.7 times the rate of police pursuits compared to people they perceived to be White, relative to estimated population size.
4.3 times the rate of force against a woman compared to women they perceived to be White, relative to estimated population size.
In 2024 Victoria Police subject people they perceived to be Pacific Islander to:
5.3 times the rate of use force compared to a person they perceived to be White compared to estimated population size;
5.9 times the rate of using tasers compared to people they perceived to be white relative to estimated population size;
In 2024 Victoria Police subjected people who they perceived to be Middle-Eastern to:
2.3 times the rate of the use of force compared to people they perceived to be White, relative to estimated population size;
1.8 times the rate of Taser use compared with people they perceived to be White, relative to estimated population size;
3.5 times the rate of pursuits, compared with people they perceived to be White, relative to estimated population size;
The over-policing of particular communities evident in the search data is confronting and deeply disturbing. If police search people they perceive to be Aboriginal at sixteen times the rate of a person they perceive to be White — and the hit rates for searches of these groups are roughly the same (in all cases less than 1 in 4 searches result in a find) — this means that Aboriginal people are subject to sixteen times the rate of criminalisation and rates of entry into the criminal legal system than White people as a consequence of police activities alone. If police search (or otherwise investigate) a particular community at a greater rate than others, this will result in their discovering more crime in that community than others. This over-sampling has dramatic consequences in terms of who is arrested, who has to deal with courts, who has force used against them, who has to encounter the prison system, criminal record discrimination, time off work, impacts on families, stigma, stereotyping and a whole range of other consequences including increasing risks of physical and psychological harm and deaths associated with police and criminal justice contact.
Missing Data
Excluding vehicle only searches, about 17% of police search records fail to record ethnic appearance despite completion of this field on field contact forms being made mandatory in 2019. The search data we have collected is recorded on L19C field contact form.
12.5% of Use of Force Data is missing ethnic appearance.
What do these findings mean? The findings provide evidence that Victoria Police continues to engage in racial profiling despite its 2015 ban. Furthermore, the findings suggest that racial profiling in Victoria is likely to be at least as problematic as other multicultural societies, such as England and Wales, and states and provinces in the US and Canada where data exists. Consequently, addressing racial profiling deserves far greater institutional attention in Australia than it currently receives.
