Incidents of offences committed by youth offenders increased by 2.3 per cent to 23,690 in the 12 months leading up to the end of December 2025 according to Victoria's Crime Statistics Agency figures released on Thursday.
Children committed at least 57 per cent of carjackings, 52 per cent of home invasions and 62 per cent of robberies.
Offenders under 18 were also behind 47.8 per cent of aggravated burglaries.
Victoria recorded 630,592 criminal incidents, with the rate jumping by 4.2 per cent, while the crime rate, which factors in population growth, rose by 2.4 per cent.
Police analysis suggests positive signs are beginning to emerge, with overall crime starting to stabilise after several years of sharp increases.
"While it's heartening that crime appears to be stabilising, it will take time before offending reduces to levels more traditionally seen in Victoria," Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Bob Hill said.
"With 230,213 different victims of crime, we are seeing far too many innocent community members harmed."
Nearly 27,000 people were arrested for serious and violent offences, with at least four youth gang members arrested each day.
Meanwhile, a record 17,400 knives and machetes were seized, after the Victorian government moved to classify machetes as prohibited weapons in the state.
It comes as youth offending fell by five per cent nationally in 2024–25, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
About 44,500 offenders committed crimes over the 12-month period, a decrease of 2215 from the previous year.
The Victorian data also revealed that breach of bail offences dominated Magistrates' Court bail applications, accounting for 20.7 per cent of all applications.
Cost-of-living pressures have continued to fuel high rates of offending, particularly car theft, which has reached its highest annual level since 2001, with more than 32,000 vehicles stolen last year.
The number of cars being stolen has surged by nearly 97 per cent in recent years, with police believing that cloning technology systems are a key factor behind the rise.
Theft of and from a motor vehicle and retail theft currently account for a third of all criminal offending, according to the data.
"With the challenging financial environment, there are no indications these crimes, which heavily impact the overall crime rate, will reduce," a spokesperson said.
Aggravated home burglaries reduced for the first time since 2020, falling by 4.1 per cent, although the offence remains at the second highest level in history.
Meanwhile family violence incidents decreased by 1.2 per cent to 103,529 offences over the 12 months.
Police hope new initiatives, such as interviewing offenders at the point of arrest and rolling out an app that allows officers to charge and bail lower-level offenders on the spot, rather than at a police station, will keep more officers on the front line.
A spokesperson said the app would save more than three hours of police time on each occasion or the equivalent of 53,000 policing hours per year.
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