The mother of a young Tasmanian man who was stabbed to death in a random knife attack has called the state government’s proposed knife law reforms inadequate.
Laraine Ludwig’s son Reid was killed at a Blackmans Bay service station in 2019, an incident that left her “motivated” to advocate for stricter knife laws and greater powers for police.
While acknowledging that the proposed laws made public on Thursday are a “step in the right direction”, Ludwig believes they “don’t go far enough”.
The changes propose doubling the maximum fine for possessing, carrying or using a dangerous article in a public place to $20,200 and increasing the maximum prison sentence from two years to three.
“Every other state is moving towards giving the police powers to conduct non-invasive scans to detect knives and other weapons, yet for some reason the Tasmanian Government is reluctant to take this vital step towards improving community safety,” Ludwig said.
“In Queensland, police seized over 500 knives in one year when they were given the right powers and the right tools, like non-invasive hand-held scanners.”
Police Minister Felix Ellis said the bill is the “first step in saving lives and protecting the community from those that feel they’re above the law”.
“The community expect action on knife crime and this bill will deliver greater penalties for offenders carrying weapons in public” he said.
“This measure will improve community safety by helping get knives off our streets and will also protect our police officers.”
“We are committed to throwing the book at those who selfishly put themselves and others in danger. “
Ludwig urged the government to give police the authority to “take knives off the street”, saying that while it won’t bring back her son, it could “help save the life” of someone else’s child.
