Civil litigation settlements cost Victoria Police more than $42 million over the past five years.
Figures revealed on Wednesday show 2021/22 was the most expensive year for the force in the five-year period with costs hitting $16.74m.
The 2019/20 financial year was second-highest with $10.46m in civil litigation financial settlements, while 2020/21 resulted in Victoria Police paying out $7.18m.
The 2018/19 financial year was the force's least expensive for civil settlements in the past five years, with $3.59m paid out.
Victoria Police coughed up $4.68m between July and December last year in settlements.
Civil litigation against Victoria Police was rare compared with the thousands of interactions its members had with the public every day, a spokeswoman said.
The force has not divulged the reasons behind the settlements or a case breakdown of costs.
"Financial settlements can fluctuate each year depending on the number of matters and when they were resolved, with some substantive cases running over several years before reaching a conclusion," the spokeswoman said.
"Individual settlement amounts are generally not disclosed at the agreement of the parties involved.
"There may also be legal restrictions in place preventing any acknowledgement civil action even exists."
The total cost of Victoria Police's civil litigation financial settlements over the past five years was $42.65m.
Victoria Police conducted thorough investigations before finalising any civil matters and their decisions were always based on independent legal advice, the spokeswoman said.
Civil litigation payouts include settlements along with costs awarded by the courts, which generally include the other party's legal costs.
The settlement figures do not include Victoria Police's own legal costs.
