Victoria Police’s Operation Park
Victoria Police (VicPol) says it is working to reassure the Jewish community that they are committed to “reducing and preventing prejudicially motivated crimes, sparked by overseas tensions in the later months of 2023”.
Naomi Levin
This is clearly targeted at anti-Semitic incidents which shot up after the tragic terrorist attacks in Israel on 7 October.
VicPol has advised that “Operation Park was established shortly after the conflict in the Middle East commenced on 7 October 2023.” Additional Police resources, including general duties police, detectives, and the VicPol Public Order Response Team were called in to assist with the operation across Melbourne’s inner south.
The Operation centralised data and intelligence collation for all reports of crimes motivated by prejudice. Some of the initial additional resources have since been scaled back, but Operation Park remains ongoing, with Victoria Police saying they are committed to “tasking members every day to patrol suburbs where such incidents have taken place in the past three months.”
349 incidents were reported to VicPol between 7 October 2023 and 2 January 2024. Of those, 145 reports of alleged prejudice-motivated crimes were prioritised. 70% (102) of these prejudice-motivated crimes were identified as antisemitic-related crimes, while 8% (12) were identified as Islamophobic-related crimes.
During that period, 47 people have been arrested for varying offences, ranging from performing the Nazi salute, verbal abuse, assaults, and criminal or wilful damage, to thefts, robberies and using telecommunication services to menace. Nearly 95% (42) of those arrests relate to alleged antisemitic crimes.
VicPol has advised of a number of arrests, including two men charged over an alleged assault outside a fast-food venue in Caulfield on 10 November. Both men will face court at a later date.
A 39-year-old Keilor man was charged with reckless conduct endangering serious injury, after allegedly driving towards Israel supporters at a rally in Caulfield, also on 10 November. He was arrested on 1 December and will face court in February.
A man was spoken to by police for posting antisemitic stickers on 21 November in Caulfield North. Enquiries continue.
Two men aged 28 and 40 were charged over an alleged assault of a 65-year-old cyclist on Chapel Street, South Yarra, on 12 November. This was videoed by onlookers and posted on social media. Police allege a woman allegedly attempted to steal an Israeli flag from the bike, before two men intervened and got into an altercation with the rider. Both men were charged with unlawful assault and will face court in mid-January.
Several investigations are ongoing relating to verbal abuse or criminal damage, including anti-Semitic graffiti within Caulfield in late December.
VicPol says they “take all reports of prejudicially motivated crime seriously and will investigate all cases, no matter who has reported them.” They encourage the community to report crimes when they see or are confronted by them.
Naomi Levin, CEO of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, told J-Wire, “These statistics from Victoria Police confirm that there has been more than one antisemitic-related crime per day in Victoria since October 7. This is unprecedented and frankly unimaginable.
“This cannot go on. Our community needs elected representatives, multicultural and faith leaders, educators, and giants of business to stand up and say ‘enough is enough’. Generic calls against racism are not satisfactory, the challenge needs to be identified clearly: it is persecution and hatred of Jews.
Whatever people think of the situation in Israel and Gaza, our local Jewish community must not be held responsible.”
Regional Operations Deputy Commissioner Neil Paterson has told J-Wire, “Arrests over past weeks demonstrate our commitment to ensuring alleged offenders are held to account.
We take any report of racial or religious-based crime extremely seriously and have already conducted more than 100 investigations with further charges likely to arise.
Everyone has the right to protest peacefully unless they are putting others in harm’s way. Victoria Police does not tolerate discrimination or victimisation, including that which is motivated by prejudice, racism or discrimination.”
Paterson also reinforced the focus on addressing hate crimes, “There is no place in our community for hate crimes of any kind. Victoria Police will never condone anyone who attacks another person with differing views to their own.”
“Every resident and visitor – regardless of their political or religious beliefs – deserves to not only be safe but, more importantly, feel safe when going about their day-to-day life.”
