Bail ‘means nothing’ to Victorians committing more than 500 jailable crimes a week, police officer says

Offenders who have been released on bail by the courts or police are committing about 70 crimes every day — and an alarming number are being carried out by children.

Victorians on bail are committing more than 500 jailable crimes a week. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Victorians out on bail are being charged with more than 500 jailable crimes a week.

Police figures show that those who were released from custody as they await their day in court racked up a total of 26,557 charges of committing an indictable offence while on bail in the past 12 months.

That represents an average of about 70 crimes every day being carried out by offenders released on bail by the courts or police.

The data – released to the Herald Sun by the Crime Statistics Agency – shows that the worst rate per offender is among children aged 10 to 14.

There are about 70 crimes every day by offenders released by the courts. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

A hard core of 80 in that age group were charged with 610 counts of committing an indictable offence on bail in the year to June – an average of 7.6 each.

Many of those are believed to relate to the wave of aggravated burglaries and car thefts that continue to plague suburban Melbourne.

Those in the 15 to 17 age range also had a relatively low raw number but a high average. There were 440 teens charged 2052 times with committing an indictable offence while on bail – a rate of 4.7 each.

Since last year, police from Operation Alliance have moved to use intensive bail conditions to control the activities of the worst offenders through regular random checks.

Those who were released from custody as they await their day in court racked up a total of 26,557 charges in the past 12 months. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Indictable offences – crimes that carry a minimum two-year jail term – range from theft, causing injury and drug offences to more serious crimes including rape, armed robbery and murder. The overall statewide number is slightly down from the 27,360 of the previous year.

Several offenders were on bail when they allegedly committed recent major crimes.

Killer driver Alisha Fagan, 22, was on bail when she killed grandfather Sedat Hassan, 69, in a high-speed crash at Sunshine West on June 9 last year.

James Paulic, 44, was also on bail when he allegedly stabbed to death former partner Logee Osias, 46, in front of her children at her Kangaroo Flat home on October 29.

Alisha Fagan was on bail when she killed grandfather Sedat Hassan, 69, in a high-speed crash at Sunshine West. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Frontline police say the numbers proved there was a widespread lack of respect for bail across all age ranges.

“It means nothing to them. Zero, nothing,” one officer said. “It (bail) is a get-out-of-jail card.”

He said youth offenders would apply for bail in the first instance because of the high likelihood it would be granted.

If it was refused, they would often immediately plead guilty and, almost invariably, walk free anyway.

The officer said he expected a high percentage of those charged with committing an indictable offence while on bail would again be freed on bail.

The figures can be revealed as Victoria prepares to relax its bail laws, which were toughened in the aftermath of the 2017 Bourke St rampage by James Gargasoulas.

He was on bail at the time he drove a car through the CBD, killing six people and injuring dozens of others.

James Gargasoulas was jailed for the Bourke St carnage. Picture: Tony Gough

The new measures will include ending remand for offences where a prison sentence is unlikely, changes to “unacceptable risk” provisions, and the repealing of the offences of breaching bail conditions and committing further offences while on bail.

A Victoria Police spokesman said upholding community safety and giving offenders, particularly children, the best chance at rehabilitation was a balancing act.

“Our members are already well accustomed to dealing with offenders who are on bail,” he said.

“This includes proactively managing these people, limiting opportunities for offending, and when they do offend, arresting them immediately.

Police say they won’t hesitate to arrest those who reoffend. Picture: Ian Currie

Victoria Police possess significant intelligence information on the state’s most serious and violent child and youth offenders, including who they associate with, their patterns of offending, and when they are being released from prison.

A state government statement said the reforms would strike the right balance, ensuring people who were no risk to the community were granted bail, while maintaining the tough approach Victorians expected.

The statement said the offences of “breaching bail conditions” and “committing further offences while on bail” were to be repealed because it had been shown they disproportionately affected women, children and Aboriginal people.

That impact came with no evidence that they deterred crime or improved community safety.

“This doesn’t mean those who commit offences on bail no longer face consequences,” the statement said.

“The accused still could get charged for that behaviour without adding a redundant additional offence. For example, if conditions are breached, an application can be made for bail to be revoked.”