Victoria Police have been granted unprecedented authority to conduct random stop-and-search operations across inner Melbourne for the next six months, sparking immediate concerns about potential racial profiling and civil liberties violations.
Unprecedented Expansion of Police Powers
From Sunday until 29 May 2026, both Victoria police officers and protective service officers (PSOs) will have the power to randomly stop and search any individual within designated areas of inner Melbourne. The extensive zone encompasses the CBD, Docklands, Southbank, the sporting and entertainment precinct, plus sections of East Melbourne and South Melbourne.
During these encounters, officers may employ electronic wands or physical pat-downs to search individuals. People can be required to remove outer clothing such as jackets and headwear, and empty bags or pockets. The authority extends to vehicle searches as well, all conducted without the need for warrants or reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing.
Police Compare to Random Breath Testing
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill defended the measures, comparing them to random breath testing operations. "It matters not your ethnicity. It matters not your race. It matters not your culture, age, any demographic," Hill stated during a press conference this week.
Hill explained that police would conduct "random selection of people using a thoroughfare" by foot or vehicle, with the capacity to search up to 1,000 people daily depending on pedestrian volumes in the city. The deputy commissioner emphasised that the focus would remain on "preventing crimes from occurring in the first place, by a general deterrence approach."
The legal basis stems from recent amendments to Victoria's Control of Weapons Act, which previously limited such designated area declarations to 12 hours. The Victorian government expanded this timeframe to a maximum of six months earlier this year.
Racial Profiling Concerns Supported by New Research
Despite police assurances, legal and human rights organisations remain deeply sceptical. A forthcoming report from the Inner Melbourne Community Legal (IMCL) centre indicates that Victoria Police's efforts to eliminate racial profiling over the past decade have largely failed.
The research examines the period following the landmark Haile-Michael case settlement, where Victoria Police agreed to review training and field contact practices after 19 young people of African background alleged they were assaulted and subjected to repeated stop-and-search operations around public housing towers between 2005 and 2009.
"It is time for the Victorian government to accept that the police cannot be left to deal with the problem of racial profiling," the IMCL report concludes. "Their discretionary powers need to be limited and they need effective oversight and monitoring."
The report includes concerning case studies, such as a 2022 incident where a man reported that he and other "prominent professionals from African backgrounds" were questioned by police while conversing outside a restaurant, simply for "loitering."
Community Leaders Demand Accountability
Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service CEO Nerita Waight condemned the expanded powers, stating there was "no reasonable rationale" for the six-month designation. She expressed particular concern for vulnerable communities including homeless individuals, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and peaceful protesters.
"Melbourne is becoming a police state, with excessive layers of control and surveillance – based on a culture of fear and in the absence of implementing effective supports and services," Waight asserted.
She joined growing calls for establishing an independent police ombudsman to ensure proper oversight and accountability for officers exercising these expanded powers.
Police justify the measures by citing "a number of serious assaults involving edged weapons" in the CBD over the past year. Hill revealed that during similar shorter operations, police have seized "up to 20 edged weapons on a daily basis" in the city centre.
As Melbourne residents and visitors adjust to this new reality, the debate continues between public safety concerns and the protection of civil liberties in one of Australia's most vibrant urban centres.
