Parliament has passed laws giving police the power to detect people carrying knives in public.
Under ‘Jack’s Law’, officers can conduct stop-and-wand operations in all Safe Night Precincts (SNPs) and on public transport.
It follows the stabbing death of 17-year-old Jack Beasley in 2019, after which legislation was introduced for police to trial the use of hand-held metal detectors to detect knives in SNPs on the Gold Coast.
The trial was conducted between May 2021 and November last year with 241 weapons taken off the streets and 647 people charged with various offences.
Weapons detected included machetes, screwdrivers, flick knives, knuckledusters, Tasers and a replica gun.
Jack’s Law has expanded the designated areas where officers can conduct scanning activity for weapons to all SNPs across Queensland, on public trains, trams, buses and ferries and at public transport hubs as part of pre-authorised operations.
Acting Deputy Police Commissioner, Mark Wheeler said the laws were designed to reduce knife crime and create safer public spaces.
“We know Jack’s Law will make our communities safer and help us reduce knife-related crime, particularly in public precincts,” A/Deputy Commissioner Wheeler said.
“While we expect to detect people carrying weapons and remove them from harm’s way, we also want to deter people from carrying knives and other weapons in the first place.”
He said police were undergoing specific training to ensure the new powers were used appropriately.
“The use of a hand-held scanner does not make any contact with the person and only takes a minute or two if nothing is located,” the officer said.
