Overhaul of the Control of Weapons Act comes amid a growing youth crime crisis

Police officers will be able to carry out weapons searches without restriction at major train stations and shopping centres as part of a move to stamp out knife crime.

Police will be given increased powers to conduct random and targeted weapons searches in a bid to crack down on a surge in knife crime.

The government is even examining whether large areas could be designated as permanent places of concern, enabling officers to carry out searches without restriction.

The overhaul of the Control of Weapons Act comes amid a growing youth crime crisis that has seen armed teens wreak havoc across Melbourne.

Under the proposed changes, it would be much easier for police to conduct random weapons searches.

Police will be able to carry out searches without restriction at permanent places of concern.

Current laws limit officers to conducting random weapons searches within designated search areas for up to 12 hours.

But they must have a certain level of information about the likelihood of weapons violence ­before declaring a designated area.

They can’t return to the area within 10 days and must advertise planned searches.

Senior police are routinely forced to sign off on requests to conduct stop-and-search operations citing concerns of a “likelihood” of violence.

The proposed changes will make it much easier for police to conduct random weapons searches. Picture: AAP

Under the proposed changes several requirements would be eased, with the government committing to a wide consultation process before settling on new laws.

Permanent designations could include places such as Westfield Fountain Gate, Footscray Station and Box Hill Central, across which more than 30 people were stabbed, threatened or robbed at knifepoint in just one year.

Police Minister Anthony Carbines said the beefed-up powers would build on previous changes to stamp out knife crime, including banning the sale of machetes to youths.

“Knives are an incredibly dangerous weapon that can inflict serious harm and heartbreak, there’s no reason for anyone to be carrying one around,” he said.

Police will be given beefed-up powers to crack down on knife crime.

“Victoria Police has extensive powers for planned and unplanned weapons searches, but we know we can do more to make these searches easier and quicker to conduct.

“We will amend the Control of Weapons Act so police can conduct their searches more easily, for longer periods and in more situations, because we’ll always give police the tools they need.”

Mr Carbines will on Tuesday meet with Queensland father Brett Beasley, who has been advocating for tougher knife laws after his son Jack was ­fatally stabbed in 2019.

Last week, the Herald Sun revealed more than 90,000 Victorians had been victims of aggravated burglaries in the past decade, amid a youth-driven boom in the crime.

Victoria Police figures showed there had been a total of 37,668 residential aggravated burglaries since 2014, when widespread house break-ins by young offenders started to grow sharply – a rate of one in every 75 Victorian homes.

The Allan government is this week expected to unveil a long-anticipated proposal to overhaul the state’s youth justice system as it moves towards raising the age of criminal ­responsibility from 10 to 12.

It means children under 12 will no longer be able to be ­arrested or charged with ­offending. The government has committed to further raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14.

Last year the NT government became the first in Australia to raise the age to 12.