Duo charged over Vic police phone attacks

Two men have been charged over a series of phone attacks against Victoria Police.

The denial of service-style attacks in October involved a large number of automated cold calls aimed at tying up police lines, interrupting incoming and outgoing calls.

The 28-year-old alleged organiser of the attacks was arrested during a joint federal and state police raid at Bendigo on Friday morning.

He is charged with five offences including sabotage, unauthorised access to computer data, and dishonestly obtaining or dealing with personal financial information.

He is also charged with using a carriage service to threaten to cause serious harm, and to menace, harass or cause offence.

Another man, aged 27, was also arrested at Bendigo and charged with three counts of possessing an unregistered firearm.

Federal police said the attacks were committed against "Australian government infrastructure", but did not say what was affected apart from Victorian police lines.

"Each occasion a police phone line was unavailable as a result of these malicious attacks meant members of the public were unable to access a vital service," said the Australian Federal Police's acting commander of cybercrime operations Chris Goldsmid.

"Some of the attacks included a spate of text messages asking for emergency assistance. People who called the number back reported being verbally abused by a recording on the other end.

"This created fear, distress and anxiety amongst some of the most vulnerable in our community."

The 28-year-old man charged over the attacks has been remanded in custody to appear in the Bendigo Magistrates Court on Monday, and the 27-year-old bailed to appear in court on August 8.

The investigation into the attacks is ongoing, police say.