Victoria police chief unveils new command to target organised crime leaders

In a briefing, Chief Commissioner Mike Bush detailed a overhaul of Victoria’s Crime Department, creating a dedicated Organised Crime Command (OCC) to pursue underworld leaders who order violent crimes. The OCC will employ specialists—including codebreakers, forensic accountants and digital analysts—to intercept encrypted messages, trace money flows and infiltrate cartel networks. A new Intelligence Fusion Centre will provide investigators with predictive intelligence to stop gang conflicts pre-emptively.

The initiative is backed by $150 million for police and $20 million for the Office of Public Prosecutions, expanding the force to roughly 151 detectives. It will also target enablers such as lawyers, real-estate agents and financial advisers, and work closely with the Australian Federal Police and Border Force. One focus will be the group known as The Commission, linked to Kazem ‘Kaz’ Hamad and recent fire-bombings in Melbourne’s nightlife scene.