Fines are set to double and offenders could spend an extra year behind bars under new laws designed to crack down on knife crime in Tasmania.
Known as Reid’s Law, the legislation is named after Reid Ludwig, a father of two who was tragically stabbed to death at a Blackmans Bay service station in 2019.
Police Minister Felix Ellis said knives are the “number one weapon” used in crimes across the state and believes the new laws will make communities safer.
Under the proposed changes, anyone caught illegally carrying or using dangerous articles in public could be fined up to $20,200, 100 penalty units, double the current maximum of $10,100.
Prison terms would also increase, with offenders facing up to three years behind bars instead of the current maximum of two.
“We need to take strong action here in Tasmania so that we don’t wind up like those other states and those other countries where a knife culture takes hold,” Ellis said.
“Importantly, under this strong new legislation our government will be able to throw the book at the idiots who carry flick knives and machetes to cause fear and threaten community safety.”
The new law will also give police more power to search people and their belongings for dangerous articles using weapon-detecting wands, which are currently being trialled state-wide.
Tasmania Police Inspector Danny Jackson said the wands had already shown signs of success.
“We’ve already seized a number of knives from people in public places who had them unlawfully,” he said. “It’s already working. These knives are off the street.”
Reid’s mother Laraine Ludwig said she was “grateful” to be closer to implementing the law after several years of campaigning.
“It’s been hard work,” she said. “We’ve been chipping away and I feel that the pace has quickened and I’m very grateful for that.”
The public can have their say on the proposed Police Offences Amendment (Knives and other Weapons) Bill 2025 over the next four weeks before feedback closes on February 14.
