Ipswich police launch campaign to address rising knife crime across city

Former NFL player Jesse ‘Tha Monstar’ Williams is an ambassador for the campaign aimed at reducing knife-related crime

Former NFL player Jesse Williams is an ambassador for the 'I live my life without a knife' campaign.

IPSWICH Acting Superintendent Doug McDonald knows from experience how quickly a bad situation can turn dire when a knife is involved.

“In my career I’ve been involved in a number of homicide investigations,” he said.

“One of those involved the use of a knife - a single stab wound and that knife was only a butter knife.”

Acting Superintendent Douglas McDonald and ambassador Jesse Williams.

With the number of knife crimes committed in public across Queensland climbing over the past five years, Queensland police have started the ‘I live my life without a knife’ education campaign.

Ipswich police launched the local division’s arm of the crime prevention initiative on Wednesday with an advertising blitz and visits to schools around the region planned.

Acting Superintendent McDonald said knife crime, which mostly involved young people, was a “major issue” for Ipswich.

Knife-related offences in Queensland have risen by about four per cent since 2016.

The number of offences committed last year was a 16 per cent increase on 2016.

The number of knife-related offences committed in public places last year was a 33 per cent increase on 2016.

In Ipswich over the past two years, 420 of the total 691 offences have occurred in public.

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“Most of our knife crime occurs around our shopping centres and railway stations and in public places,” Acting Superintendent McDonald said.

“There’s also a notable occurrence of knife crime around our licensed premises as well.

“This is concerning for us.”

Under Queensland law it is illegal to carry a knife, which includes any implement with a sharpened tip such as a screwdriver, even in a vehicle.

“Self defence is not considered a reasonable excuse to carry a knife,” Acting Superintendent McDonald said.

Sergeant Wayne Webber, ambassador Jesse Williams and Acting Superintendent Douglas McDonald outside Yamanto Police Station for the launch of the 'I live my life without a knife' campaign.

“You may face fines or imprisonment if you’re found to be carrying a knife.

“Carrying a knife does not protect you. If you carry a knife you risk it being used against you.

“It’s often young people; 10-17 year olds have come to our attention as being involved. That’s specifically what we’re aiming this program at.

“Certainly robberies feature heavily where knives are utilised. What we often see is conflict between juveniles which might start off as a disagreement (and which can) quickly escalate.

“(It) results in people not just being involved in a fist fight perhaps but could result in someone being charged with wounding, grievous bodily harm, attempted murder or in those serious incidents actual murder.

“It certainly doesn’t take much.”

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Former NFL player Jesse ‘Tha Monstar’ Williams has joined the initiative as an ambassador and was at Yamanto Police Station this week to launch the local campaign.

A trial in Logan in 2019 resulted in a sustained 23 per cent decrease in knife-related crime in the district.

“Being from the south side of Brisbane I’ve been around a lot of instances and situations where knives were involved and a lot of that could have been a lot worse,” he said.

“I think for me in my journey of being able to achieve the things I’ve been able to achieve it’s for me always been about my decisions and my choices.

“I think this campaign really touched with me.”

Now living back in Brisbane, Mr Williams said while the campaign was focused on knife-crime, it was also about educating young people about the importance of surrounding themselves with the right crowd.

“My biggest goal is being able to influence the choices and decisions of our youth moving forward,” he said.

“(Knife crime) is definitely still around.

“I was raised on the south side of Brisbane. There’s a lot of rough spots around there especially when I was younger.

“I think the biggest (reason why young people carry knives) is feeling a bit of power and confidence.

“A lot of the time they just get themselves in worse situations.”

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Read more stories by Lachlan McIvor here.

Originally published as Ipswich police launch campaign to address rising knife crime across city