MELBOURNE, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Police in Australia's Victoria state will soon be armed with powers to search terror suspects without a warrant, it was announced on Friday.
Under the new laws, the chief commissioner of Victoria Police will be able to impose orders that allow police to search a suspected person, car and property for weapons or other items.
There will be few restrictions on the new searches, known as firearm prohibition orders, with teenagers as young as 14 liable to be searched even if they do not have any prior convictions.
Shane Patton, deputy commissioner of Victoria Police, said that people who were likely to become radicalized would be targeted as well as organized crime figures and gang members.
Police are able to carry out similar searches in New South Wales (NSW) where they have been largely credited for reducing gun crime.
"We think this is going to be a real game-changer in addressing serious and organised crime and terrorism, Middle Eastern organised crime figures and outlaw motorcycle gangs," Patton told Australian media on Friday.
"It's going to give us significant powers."
Under current restrictions, police must prove that there is reasonable belief that a person has, or is about to, commit an offence before they can obtain a search warrant.
But with the firearm prohibition orders, officers just need to have a suspicion that a target has a gun or weapon.
The change comes after terrorist Yacqub Khayre killed one man and took a woman hostage with a gun he acquired illegally.
