Victorian Premier promises tougher measures to crackdown on knife crime

Police will be given sweeping new powers to search people for weapons in Victoria from early next year, under an election pledge by Victorian Premier Ben Carroll.

If Labor is re-elected on November, the state will implement a version of Jack’s Law, which would allow police to use handheld metal detector wands to search anyone in a public place for knives.

Under the current laws, named after the late Jack Beasley, police can only search with a warrant or reasonable suspicion that a person has a weapon.

The only exception is when police declare a designated search area, giving them the power to stop and search anyone during a set time period.

The expanded powers have prompted concerns the powers could be misused by police to target people based on their race or ethnicity.

Beasley’s parents Brett and Belinda campaigned for the law to be introduced in Queensland after their son was fatally stabbed in Surfers Paradise in 2019.

The Coalition has also pushed for Jack’s Law to be implemented in Victoria, which means the legislation is likely to be introduced by the party that wins the state election on November 28.

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Brett Beasley told Melbourne radio station 3AW he welcomed the pledge.

“We’ve been fighting for the police to have these powers down here in Victoria,” Beasley said.

“To hear this news this morning is great stuff. Put the politics side of things aside, this is more about community safety. It’s more about giving the police the powers that they deserve.

“They need to keep the community safe and that’s what Jack’s Law does.”

Beasley said the laws have been successful in other states.

“In Queensland we’ve taken over 3000 knives off the streets,” he said.

“Down in NSW, they’ve taken off nearly 500 weapons in not quite 12 months, so it absolutely works.”

If re-elected, Carroll said the laws would come into effect early next year.