Vic Police Say There Have Been No New Grindr Hate Crime Attacks Reported Since Arrests
Victoria Police have told a community forum that there have been no new app-based hate crime attacks reported in Victoria since October 2025.
Victoria Police have made over 42 arrests throughout 2024 and 2025 in relation to a series of attacks targeting gay and bisexual men, with some investigations still active and offenders yet to be identified.
In some instances, videos of the attacks have been recorded and posted on social media. Some of the alleged offenders are reported to be as young as 13.
Victoria Police confirmed the perpetrators mainly used Grindr, but also Scruff and Snapchat to find their victims. Similar attacks have happened in other states.
Over the weekend, health service Thorne Harbour Health held a community forum at gay club The Laird, to discuss these attacks and the Victorian Inquiry into Anti-LGBTIQA+ Hate Crimes, which has been set up to to investigate attacks against the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as the state’s current and future response, and support available to victims.
Speaking at the event, a spokesperson from the Priority and Safer Communities Division of Victoria Police, said that the lack of new cases when it comes to the app based hate crime attacks are likely because of multiple cases of re-occuring offenders, who are now facing court, and are therefore not in a position to re-offend. They believe the lack of new reported cases is therefore partly due to the arrests made throughout 2024 and 2025, and also because of the increased scrutiny and consequences to the crimes that have occurred since, due to public campaigning and responses from the law.
It was also pointed out that this statistic refers specifically to hate crimes against gay and bisexual men who have been lured off dating apps, and doesn’t include other hate crimes against the LGBTQIA+ community that may have been reported.
It’s also worth noting that it’s thought many incidences of anti-LGBTQIA+ hate crimes go unreported to the police.
How to contribute to the inquiry
Also speaking at the community forum, Victorian Commissioner for LGBTQIA+ Communities Joe Ball said that he welcomes and fully supports the Parliamentary Inquiry into violence against LGBTIQA+ communities.
“We need to understand the full scope of what is happening across Victoria. That means identifying patterns, drivers and points of intervention so we can prevent this violence before it occurs, not simply respond after the fact,” Ball told Star Observer.
“Speaking at the Laird community forum yesterday, I was reminded that this is not new work. When I spoke the words “silence equals death”, sitting in front of me were Jamie Gardiner and David Menadue, two people who helped change the course of stigma, discrimination, and violence during the HIV/AIDS crisis in this state. And yet here we are again. Faced with the need to address violence and stigma in our communities.”
He encourages people to seize this moment and engage with the Inquiry. “Your voice matters, and it will shape what comes next.”
Thorne Harbour Health is encouraging LGBTIQA+ community members who have experienced harassment, intimidation or violence to come forward and confidentially share their experiences as part of the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into hate crimes.
The organisation will support people who wish to contribute to the inquiry and is collecting voluntary accounts from community members to be included in submissions to Parliament.
You can submit to the Inquiry directly, and Thorne Harbour community members can express interest in confidentially sharing their experiences by contacting reporting@thorneharbour.org.
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