Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian state of Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the Victoria Police Act 2013. , Victoria Police had over 22,300 staff, comprising over 16,700 police officers, 1,490 Protective Services Officers, 390 Police Custody Officers and 253 Police Recruits in training, 2 reservists and 3750 Victorian Public Service (VPS) employees across 333 police stations. It had a budget of A$3.76 billion. Between 31 July 2018 and 18 July 2019, Victoria Police recorded 514,398 offences, an increase of 1.5% from the previous year. Victoria Police also responded to 897,016 emergency calls, a reduction of 0.3% from previous year. History Background A couple of years after the first Europeans settled there, in September 1836 the area around Melbourne, known as the District of Port Phillip, became part of the colony of New South Wales. From 1851 until 1901 it became the Colony of Victoria, with its own government within the British Empire. In 1901 it became a state of the new Commonwealth of Australia. Early history The early settlers of Melbourne provided their own police force, and in 1840 there were 12 constables who were paid two shillings and nine pence per day, and the chief constable was Mr. W (Tulip) Wright. Charles Brodie followed Wright as chief constable in 1842 and was succeeded by W. J. Sugden, who held the positions of 'town chief constable' and superintendent of the local fire brigade. By 1847, there were police in 'country centres', and the Melbourne force was composed of 'one chief officer, four sergeants, and 20 petty constables'. There was also 'a force of 28 mounted natives' enlisted and trained by DeVilliers and, later, Captain Pulteney Dana. The Snodgrass Committee was established in early 1852 to "identify the policing needs of the colony", and, following the committee's report in September 1852, the Victoria Police was formally established on 8 January 1853 from an existing colonial police force of 875 men. Later that month, William Henry Fancourt Mitchell was 'gazetted as Chief Commissioner of Police for the Colony of Victoria'. In 1853, Victoria Police was the first police organisation in Australia who merged all its police entities into one organisation under Victoria Police Chief Commissioner William Mitchell. Victoria continues to be the only state in Australia with a Chief Commissioner of Police. Their first major engagement was the following year, 1854,