Designated Areas

PSOs can exercise their powers in designated areas. Police and PSOs also have additional powers inside a designated area to search people, order people to remove face coverings, and to order people to leave the area.

“Designated areas” are places where:

• police have extra powers, and
• where PSO’s are allowed to use their powers.

Some places are always designated areas. These include:

• Train stations, bus stops, and tram stops
• Car-parks, taxi ranks, and bus stops near train stations
• Areas around train stations
• Roads and footpaths that access train stations

(PSOs also work at other places like Parliament House and the courts.)

Since 2020 designated areas now include:

• The entire Melbourne Metropolitan area;
• Municipal districts of the following council areas: Greater Geelong City Council, Ballarat City Council , Greater Bendigo City Council, La Trobe City Council, Mildura Rural City Council, Greater Shepparton City Council , Wodonga City Council, Warrnambool City Council, Rural City of Wangaratta Council.

Powers will be expanded in the near future to include:

• An area surrounding a sporting venue;
• A venue of public entertainment;
• A place of mass gathering; or
• Any large area in Victoria.

At this stage, it is not clear if the increased coverage of designated areas is short or long term.

Other places can be made a “designated area” for a limited period of time. Under the Control of Weapons Act 1990 (Vic) (“CW Act”), the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police may declare an area to be a “designated area” at short notice. The declaration should be published on the Victoria Police website.