Ben Carroll pledges random police search powers for knife crime
Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has pledged to implement 'Jack's Law,' which would grant police the power to conduct random metal detector searches for knives in public spaces. While supported by the Coalition, the proposal faces criticism regarding potential civil liberty infringements and racial profiling.
Why it matters
The debate balances public safety measures against individual privacy rights and the potential for discriminatory policing.
Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items.
Remove items from your saved list to add more.
Share A A A Police and PSOs would have the power to randomly search people anywhere in public with metal detectors, without needing a warrant or reasonable suspicion they have a weapon, under an election promise by Premier Ben Carroll.
Carroll will on Wednesday pledge to implement a version of “Jack’s Law” in Victoria, modelled on a law first introduced in Queensland and copied in NSW, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Named after 17-year-old Jack Beasley, who was fatally stabbed in Surfers Paradise in 2019, the law would allow police to use handheld metal detector “wands” to search anyone in a public place for knives.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in