'Copycat' knife-search powers to spread after Victorian election as experts warn against relying on Jack’s Law

A father who championed laws to combat knife crime in memory of his slain son has hailed their guaranteed expansion to another state, even as experts raise concerns.

Victorian Premier Ben Carroll on Wednesday pledged to implement “Jack’s Law” by early 2027 if Labor is re-elected in November for a historic fourth straight term, meaning the crackdown has bipartisan support.

The powers will allow officers to use a handheld metal detector to “wand” people anywhere in public without a warrant — using a device to detect potential weapons.

An extra 1200 of the devices have been promised so police can do the job.

Queensland introduced the law after the fatal stabbing of teenager Jack Beasley during a night out on the Gold Coast in 2019, while NSW and Western Australia passed similar legislation in 2024.

Jack’s parents Brett and Belinda Beasley have long been advocating for the introduction of the powers in Victoria and other states.

Mr Beasley received a phone call from the Premier late on Tuesday to inform the couple of Labor’s commitment.

“After fighting so long with the previous Premier (Jacinta Allan), we finally got it over the line,” he told AAP.

“Now both parties are on board, which is fantastic.”

Mr Beasley said youth violence and knife crime were “out of control” in Victoria and argued every blade taken off the street saved lives.

In 2025, then-opposition leader Brad Battin committed to introducing Jack’s Law if the coalition won the state election.

Mr Battin, now opposition police spokesman, said the 12-year Labor government had copied the coalition’s policy as it was “well and truly out of ideas”.

“The Victorian Labor party ... tried to convince you machete bins were the answer,” he said.

The Government was opposed to Jack’s law under Ms Allan, relying on the current system of police designating areas for up to six months to randomly search for weapons.

It now concedes the process has limits and believes the designated areas are in jeopardy after a Federal Court challenge.

A six-month declaration designating Melbourne’s city centre and neighbouring suburbs, made by Victoria Police on November 30, was lifted on January 9 and later ruled invalid.

Human Rights Law Centre legal director Sarah Schwartz, who spearheaded the legal challenge, said the expanded powers were “ripe for abuse”.

“People in Victoria should be free to move around without fear of being stopped and searched by police for no reason,” she said.

“The Carroll government is ignoring the evidence and caving into pressure in a race to the bottom to suppress democratic freedoms and human rights.”

Research from the Centre Against Racial Profiling found Aboriginal, African, Middle Eastern and Pacific Islander communities were disproportionately targeted in searches.

The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service said the “copycat policy” would only compound the problem of racial profiling and discrimination by police.

“If this is what ‘good policy’ looks like to the premier, then I implore him and his advisors to do the hard work of innovation rather than a Google search,” chief executive Nerita Waight said.

Mr Carroll repeatedly refused to be drawn on whether he advocated to Ms Allan to follow the opposition’s plan and dismissed concerns about the policy’s potential effect on vulnerable and minority communities.

“I make no apology for having a zero-tolerance approach to knife crime,” he said.

The Victorian government pointed to figures released by the Queensland Liberal-National government on Friday showing 1439 weapons were seized during scans of 198,469 people since July 2025.

Swinburne University criminologist Dr Joel McGregor suggested the laws would do little to reduce knife crime.

“It may take knives or weapons off the streets ... but it won’t stop the underlying factors as to why young people or people in general are carrying knives,” Dr McGregor said.

Griffith Criminology Institute Professor Janet Ransley echoed this sentiment following a review of Queensland’s 12-month trial of Jack’s Law from 2021-2022.

“We found there was no reduction in violence as a result of the use of the hand-held scanners,” Prof Ransley wrote in an article published by The Conversation last year.

“There’s also potential for bias when officers using the wands are influenced by factors that aren’t related to evidence.

“What’s needed to reduce knife violence are evidence-based programs addressing underlying causes such as mental health, poverty, child maltreatment and domestic and family violence.”

While Queensland’s Police Minister Dan Purdie has said Jack’s Law is “saving lives across Queensland”, Prof Ransley and Dr McGregor assert that wanding and weapon seizing efforts divert police resources and attention towards reaction rather than prevention.

“It’s about taking a public health approach to reducing violence, rather than thinking that we can just simply police our way out,” Dr McGregor said.

“We also need to recognise around 50% of serious violent crimes occurs in the context of domestic and family violence, in private settings,” Prof Ransley reinforced.

“Wanding does nothing to help those victims.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, phone 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Crisis Care Helpline on 1800 199 008.

Young people seeking support can phone beyondblue on 1300 22 4636 or go to headspace.org.au.