‘Anywhere, anytime’: Victoria police and PSOs to get random stop and search powers after Labor backflip
This story was selected and curated by our editorial team in the Australia news category. Published on September 16, 2026 • Originally reported by Benita Kolovos Victorian state correspondent. OMEGAZEPRIME provides independent news coverage and analysis for our readers. Stay informed with the latest developments.
Premier Ben Carroll adopts Coalition’s stance on Jack’s Law, which gives police and PSOs power to randomly search people for knives with metal detectors
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The Victorian premier has made another policy backflip, announcing a re-elected Labor government would give police and protective services officers the power to stop and search people for knives using handheld metal detectors – despite experts warning of a lack of evidence that the measure reduces violent crime.
Ben Carroll on Wednesday announced he would match a commitment made by the Coalition opposition last year to introduce Queensland’s Jack’s Law, named after 17-year-old Jack Beasley, who was fatally stabbed in Surfers Paradise in 2019.
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