Victoria joins Queensland and NSW with tougher knife crime laws, but the impacts are still debated. ABC Online

Description

Experts say Victoria's crackdown on knife crime should reduce the number of potentially lethal weapons, like machetes, on the street, but there's limited direct evidence on whether knife-related violence will fall as a result.

Meanwhile, human rights and youth advocates are warning expanded police search powers could worsen racial profiling and antagonise young people already feeling disconnected from the community.