‘Anywhere, anytime’: Victoria police and PSOs to get random stop and search powers after Labor backflip
Summary
Victoria’s Labor government has announced new powers that allow police and Protective Services Officers to stop and search people for knives anywhere and anytime using handheld metal detectors. This follows a law called Jack’s Law from Queensland, despite experts warning there is no clear proof these searches reduce violent crime.Key Facts
- Police and Protective Services Officers in Victoria will get 1,200 handheld metal detectors to search people in public places.
- The new powers are named after Jack Beasley, a 17-year-old who was fatally stabbed in 2019 in Queensland.
- Experts, including criminologists and human rights groups, say there is no evidence these powers help reduce knife violence.
- Critics warn the searches can lead to police targeting marginalized groups and threatening human rights.
- In Queensland, 160,997 people were stopped and scanned between July 2025 and June 2026, mostly males, with Indigenous people overrepresented.
- Current law in Victoria allows police to search only in designated areas, but this will expand to anywhere under the new rules.
- The Victorian government says it will work with legal experts to ensure the new law is solid and effective.
- Similar laws have been adopted in Tasmania, Western Australia, Northern Territory, and parts of New South Wales.
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