Victoria Police has apologised to the gay community on the anniversary of a raid on a Melbourne nightclub in which 463 people were detained and strip-searched.

The incident, known as the Tasty nightclub raid, took place at the Commerce Club on Flinders Lane in August 1994.

Police detained club patrons for seven hours, resulting in adverse public scrutiny and a successful legal action against the force.

One of the people at the club at the time called the strip-searches "horrifying and intimidating", and left him with nightmares.

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Jeff Kennett, who was premier at the time, called the raid "disturbing and extreme".

Acting Police Chief Commissioner Lucinda Nolan delivered the apology at a meeting of Victoria Police's newly-established LGBTI Community Reference Group on Monday night.

She told gay and lesbian radio station Joy 94.9 that an apology was needed to build a better relationship with the community.

Commissioner Nolan said police officers responsible for the raid, who are still in the force, echoed the apology.

"The sins of the past need to be addressed if we really want to make this a strong relationship," she said.

"They've all been spoken to about this and they have all been overwhelmingly supportive of the apology that we've given.

"I think that's a reflection on how different Victoria Police was 20 years ago, including the people actually involved."

Melbourne Community Voice Magazine journalist James Findlay said the apology meant a lot for younger gay and lesbian people to see a government department admitting they were wrong.

"It's a huge deal. It's these kind of steps that can actually save lives for young GLBTI people. It's an important day," he said.

Gary Singer led a successful class action against the force and was one of the first to receive the apology at a function in Melbourne on Monday.

He said the apology was a step forward for minority communities.

"It's a great thing because the police have said, 'well hang on a minute, we've done the wrong thing, we're learning from our mistakes, we want to embrace this community'," he said.

"After the Tasty nightclub raid and the case, we've seen a movement by the police to get closer to the gay and lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex communities."