Coles has removed kitchen knives from the shelves of its supermarkets across the country following a recent knife attack on a Queensland employee.
The decision was made “out of an abundance of caution” while a review is undertaken, a Coles spokesperson said.
Glenorchy Mayor Sue Hickey welcomed the move, saying it will help keep communities safer.
“It is no doubt extremely regrettable that shops cannot stock and sell items such as kitchen knives without fear they will be misused,” she said.
“But the fact that there are people who have little regard for the law means there is little choice but to simply keep these items away from those who would seek to cause harm.”
Hickey said that while kitchen knives are common household items, having them out of view or not stocked at all would deter opportunistic knife crime.
“We are all too aware of cases where criminals have used knives in attacks against people in retail outlets,” she said.
“Removing spur-of-the-moment temptation for such crimes must be a priority.”
The 63-year-old employee stabbed remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition.
Her alleged attacker, a 13-year-old boy, has been charged with attempted murder in relation to the stabbing.
