Public notices

Find the latest public notices by Victoria Police, which enable Victoria Police operations in Designated Places and Designated Areas.

Safe spaces in our community

Victoria Police uses extra police powers in certain places and areas in our community to keep people safe.

These powers apply in Designated Places and Designated Areas and allow police and PSOs to:

prevent crime
reduce harm, and
protect public spaces like train stations, nightlife spots, and busy transport hubs.

Explore the explanations below to see what each type of designated location means and how the powers work.

Under the Control of Weapons Act 1990, Victoria Police can declare certain areas as Designated Areas for weapons searches and other purposes.
Designated Areas are usually high-risk locations, like entertainment districts, transport hubs, or high alcohol incident areas.
Within a Designated Area, police officers and PSOs can search for weapons:
- person
- items in that person's possession or control
- vehicles.
Find more information about weapons search areas.
Under the Victoria Police Act 2013, the Chief Commissioner, a Deputy Commissioner or an Assistant Commissioner can declare a Designated Place.
A Designated Place declaration gives Protective Services Officers (PSOs) the authority to exercise their powers in that location, including stop and search powers, for up to 12 months.
Examples of Designated Places include:
- train stations and nearby areas, such as car parks
- roads or thoroughfares that provide access to train stations
- bus and taxi areas located near train stations
- any site temporarily declared under Section 3A of the Act.

Current public notices

Notices about new designated areas (Control of Weapons Act / OMNI operation) and designated places (Victoria Police Act / PSO locations) across Victoria.

Designated Areas (Control of Weapons Act / OMNI operation)

View current public notices for Designated Areas in Victoria:

Sunday 30 November 2025 to Friday 29 May 2026

Melbourne CBD - Sunday 30 November 2025 to Friday 29 May 2026

Monday 1 December 2025 to Saturday 28 February 2026

Designated Places (Victoria Police Act 2013 / PSO locations)

View current public notices for Designated Places in Victoria:

Monday 8 December 2025 to Saturday 28 February 2026

Previous public notices

Find information about past Victoria Police notices.

Previous Designated Areas (Control of Weapons Act / OMNI operation) and Designated Places (Victoria Police Act 2013 / PSO locations)
Previous special powers (to protect persons attending events)
- Special powers - Thursday 18 December 2025 to Sunday 21 December 2025

News

Updated 6 January 2026