Bus malls, nightlife precincts and busy retail areas will soon see police officers armed with weapon-detecting wands in an effort to crack down on rising incidents of knife crime.
Police Minister Felix Ellis has today announced that a trial of hand-held scanners will be undertaken by police across the upcoming busy Christmas period.
It follows two stabbing incidents on Hobart’s eastern shore overnight that injured multiple people and persistent calls from advocates for tougher rules.
Minister Ellis said the community “expects action on knife crime” and believes the trial “will achieve that”.
“I am confident that the implementation of wands and greater search powers will reduce the scourge of knife crime in Tasmania,” he said.
The wands, which have already arrived in the state, will first be used to conduct searches for weapons in areas with a history of knife-related incidents.
Their implementation comes off the back of recent consultation for amendments to police offences laws.
“Our bill will deliver greater penalties for offenders carrying weapons in public and stronger police search powers if they have a reasonable suspicion a person may be in possession of a dangerous article,” Ellis said.
“[It] is about keeping the community safe and giving police the powers they need to stop threats to our community on our roads and in our streets.”
Hobart mother Laraine Ludwig has long been advocating for the implementation of ‘Jack’s Law’, inspired by similar anti-knife legislation in Queensland, since losing her son Reid in a stabbing attack five years ago.
She appeared alongside Labor leader Dean Winter last week as he announced his support for wand technology days after a stabbing incident on Salamanca Lawns.
He citied statistics indicating an average of almost three knife-related incidents each week in the past 12 months.
“That number continues to go up and it represents the vast majority of violent crime in Tasmania,” Winter said.
“I think it’s time for Tasmanians to take up the challenge to do the right thing for our workers, for families, to protect not only the workers, but people who go around Tasmania and have the right to be safe.”
Ellis has welcomed Labor’s support and said the Police Offences (Hooning and Knife Crime) Amendment Bill will be introduced into Parliament next year.
