Laa Chol

The death of a South Sudanese teenager in Melbourne's CBD was a "tragic and needless" loss of young life, but indicative of a "major law and order problem" in Victoria, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has said.

As police searched for the killer of 19-year-old Laa Chol on Sunday, Mr Dutton linked the death to what he claimed were wider problems with crime in Victoria.

"This is a tragic and needless loss of a young life," he said in a statement to Fairfax Media.

"There is a major law and order problem in Victoria and more people are going to be hurt until the rule of law is enforced by the Victorian Government.