Victoria’s opposition leader, Brad Battin, has announced a bold initiative to restrict judges from granting bail to certain offenders, as part of his commitment to intensify the state’s crime crackdown.

With crime expected to dominate the agenda in the upcoming state election, Battin expressed his intention to adopt a stringent approach, contrasting with what he perceives as the government’s leniency. Speaking on Today, he emphasized his stance on justice reforms.

“The current administration has weakened these laws and refuses to restore them to their 2023 standards,” Battin stated.

“Since those changes, we’ve witnessed a rise in crime rates,” he added.

Battin further highlighted the growing public concern: “Crime has become the primary topic of discussion, which is alarming. When perception shifts to reality, people start feeling unsafe in their communities.”

“We’ve had 25 to 30 victims under the age of 25 who have died in the knife crisis here in Victoria, and they [the government] continue to have their head in the sand and won’t answer the real questions of fixing the bail system, bringing in something like break bail, face jail and ensuring we have violent offenders off the street.”

Battin said if the Liberals were returned to government, he would put laws in place that bar courts from granting bail to some offenders.

“One of the key points is ‘break bail, face jail’. Those that are committing violent offences shouldn’t continue to get bail,” he said.

“We’ll ensure we’ll tighten the laws to make sure that the judges don’t have the choice to give them bail, that they have to keep them on remand rather than back out into the community.”

Battin’s comments come as senior police in Victoria call for greater government support.

Victoria Police Commander Wayne Cheeseman claimed the department was having to draft in police officers from regional areas of the state to police protests in Melbourne CBD.

Battin said he would also increase funding to the state’s police, claiming the overstretched department was equipped enough to deal with crime in Victoria.

“Mike Bush [Victoria’s chief police commissioner] has got over 1100 vacancies on the roster,” Battin claimed.

“He can’t just invent police, he needs funding to ensure they get there.”

Battin said until the issue is fixed, a growing number of Victorians will not feel safe in their own home.

“It is getting to a stage that this is the only topic people are talking about,” he said.

“And that’s a huge concern because then the perception becomes reality and people feel unsafe in their own community.”