More than 15,000 weapons have been taken off Victoria's streets so far in 2025, an average of 47 per day.
It is the second consecutive year the record was smashed, most weapons were taken during searches related to known offenders and police also targeted youth gang members.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said there was no place for knives and machetes at shopping centres, bus stops or train stations.
"I am acutely aware of how much concern knife crime generates in the Victorian community, with multiple recent incidents striking at the heart of how safe people are and how safe people feel," he said.
Crime has dominated political discussion in the state in the lead-up to the November 2026 Victorian election, with offences up 15.7 per cent statewide in the 12 months to mid-2025 and retail incidents surging more than 20 per cent.
An alternative plan to protect staff and customers from abuse and violence in shopping centres and retail precincts has been proposed by Opposition Leader Brad Battin.
He placed the blame for surging retail crime squarely at the feet of the Allan government while pledging to fund an extra 200 protective service officers to combat the problem.
"Labor did nothing in over a decade to protect shoppers and retail workers," he said.
"My government will put PSOs into shopping malls to protect shoppers and keep the PSOs at train stations to protect commuters."
The coalition's retail crime plan echoes support for several policies the Labor government has already promised, including workplace protection orders that ban abusive or violent offenders from shops.
However, Mr Battin has proposed a dedicated digital platform so staff and employers can report abuse and crime, upload evidence and apply for orders directly through Victoria Police systems.
A knife fight between rival gangs at Melbourne's Northland Shopping Centre in May sent people running for their lives and led to the government fast-tracking an interim ban on machete sales.
Other centres have been the scene of similar violence.
Premier Jacinta Allan has repeatedly insisted Melbourne is safe but pivoted last week with a series of fresh moves to crack down on offences.
Her government has promised tougher maximum penalties for criminals as young as 14, people who recruit children to do their dirty work and those who assault or threaten to assault workers in customer-facing roles.
It will trial protective service officers, who largely monitor train stations, at Melbourne shopping centres during summer and fund 842 handheld metal detectors to unearth knives and machetes.
The police union boss Wayne Gatt slammed the government's plan as a "brain fart ... passed off as policy".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese offered his endorsement of the sweeping crime crackdown on Sunday, saying it was consistent with the premier's commitment to keep Victorians safe.
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