Shadow Minister Says Lack of ‘Stop and Search’ Powers Slowing Victoria Police

Shadow Police Minister David Southwick says a lack of stop-and-search powers are limiting Victoria Police’s ability to respond to violent offenders.

“I was in [regional] Wodonga, and in Wodonga you’ve got to plan a two-day operation for taking those machetes in doing a wanding operation,” he told The Epoch Times.

“Whereas across the border in Albury [in New South Wales], you can do it instantly.

“So proactive policing, more police on the beat and we’ve got to get the knives off them [are what is required].

“And when people are found there have got to be consequences.”

His comments come after a man was seen holding a machete while running through the crowd at an NRL Harmony tournament at Seabrook Reserve, intended to celebrate culture and diversity.

A 19-year-old was later found with stab wounds to his torso on the corner of Kitchener and Goulburn Street in Broadmeadows in the city’s north at about 9:35 p.m. on Oct. 25.

Earlier in October, terrified shoppers watched on as two masked youths fought with machetes inside Broadmeadows Central shopping centre, with onlookers hiding inside locked storefronts.

The fighters fled the scene and drove away before police arrived, with no reported arrests or injuries.

On Oct. 22, two teenage boys were treated in hospital with stab wounds after an alleged brawl involving a screwdriver and possibly a machete at the Broadmeadows Railway Station.

And three men were charged over a machete brawl outside Luna Park at St Kilda on Oct. 19.

They were all granted bail and are set to return to court later this year.

Melbourne Magistrates’ Court heard that three men allegedly attacked and chased a rival.

Three alleged victims suffered cuts in the altercation, while witnesses watched on.

“I absolutely think at the moment a lot of people don’t feel safe. They don’t feel safe going into Melbourne’s CBD,” Southwick said.

He was questioned the effectiveness of the government’s $13 million machete bin program, with 45 bin stations across Victoria aimed to encourage offenders to dispose of their weapons without any questions being asked.

“I think what we’ve said all along—there’s got to be a better way to get these machetes off the streets,” he said.

“They’re not going to be handed in to the bins. The only way to do it is proactively take the knives out of their hands.

“And we’ve been calling for Jack’s Law. Every other state has it except for Victoria.”

Jack’s Law is a Queensland government legislation that allows police to use handheld metal detectors to search for knives and other weapons in public places and entertainment venues.

It was enacted following the 2019 death of 17-year-old Jack Beasley, and has been made permanent across Queensland.

Premier Says Melbourne Still ‘Safe’

Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan said Melbourne is a safe city, despite the recent spate of violent incidents.

The state Labor government banned the sale of machetes in May, and Allan said progress had been made on machete crimes since then.

“We know that the ban on machetes and the handing in of machetes is working because just through the machete bins alone, we’ve had more than 5,000 of these dangerous weapons handed in,” she told reporters.

“When you add to the ban on machetes and the strongest knife search powers, we are getting more of these dangerous weapons off our street than any other state.”