Victoria Police has declared a large section of Melbourne's CBD, Docklands, and Southbank as a designated area for six months, granting officers greater search powers without a warrant. The declaration, effective from Sunday until May 29, 2026, allows police to stop and search individuals for prohibited weapons, search vehicles, and compel people to remove face coverings.
The move comes amid rising community concern about knife crime in Melbourne, following several high-profile incidents including the random stabbing of a woman in the CBD. A Victoria Police spokesperson stated that the CBD is the first area to be covered by such a lengthy declaration, describing the operations as an invaluable tool to remove weapons from the streets as knife crime rises in the state.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece welcomed the decision, citing a 20 percent increase in crime in the central city over the past 12 months. He said the city needed a circuit-breaker and supported the extension of designated powers to the CBD, Docklands, and Southbank, while acknowledging the need for checks and balances.
However, civil liberty advocates have criticized the move as an abuse of police powers. Liberty Victoria president Gemma Cafarella questioned the lack of evidence justifying the six-month duration, calling it an unjustified intrusion on human rights. A report by Liberty Victoria found that between 2021 and 2023, police stopped and searched nearly 24,000 people in designated areas, with only 252 searches resulting in objects or substances being found—a success rate of just over 1 percent.
Victorian Libertarian Party MP David Limbrick described the declaration as a gross invasion of people's rights and privacy, while federal independent MP Lidia Thorpe expressed concern that certain ethnic groups would be disproportionately targeted. Victoria Police defended the measure, releasing a photo of weapons seized during a weekend-long operation in the city this year, and stating that there must be an extensive history of weapon-related offending or intelligence indicating the measure will prevent likely offending.
