Overview

• Mike Bush was sworn in at the Victoria Police Academy in Glen Waverley, meeting with 360 new recruits as he began his tenure
• He promised a prevention-focused model to address a 17.1 per cent rise in offences and record levels of youth crime
• Drawing on his experience as New Zealand police commissioner from 2014 to 2020, Bush plans to boost officer morale and deepen community trust
• Bush identified cracking down on money laundering as a key tactic to dismantle organised crime networks in Victoria
• The state government approved tougher bail tests and a statewide ban on machetes from September as critics warn of under-resourcing and low morale