Jack’s Law: Criminologist has doubts on new knife-detection rules after Gold Coast trial

A criminologist has told a parliamentary hearing that a police trial into knife-detection tools was too short to accurately determine their effectiveness.

A leading criminologist has questioned the effectiveness of new laws proposed to arm Queensland police with knife-detection tools, saying there was no evidence to suggest the legislation would deter violent crimes.

The Griffith University Professor, Janet Ransley, who conducted a review into the police trial of electronic detection devices, also questioned if the proposed rollout across the state was a sensible use of resources.

The concerns were raised during a parliamentary committee hearing into an amendment Bill related to police powers, named “Jack’s Law” in honour of 17-year-old Jack Beasley who was stabbed to death on the Gold Coast in 2019.

Jack’s parents Brett and Belinda Beasley. Picture: Jerad Williams

The laws were introduced by the Palaszczuk government following a trial at Gold Coast nightspots Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, which netted a disturbing number weapons.

But Professor Ransley told The Courier-Mail the year-long duration of the study was too short to accurately determine the effectiveness of the detection tools, known as wands.

“There was certainly evidence that there was increased detection of bladed weapons in Surfers Paradise and it’s a good thing to detect those weapons and remove them from circulation before they can cause harm,” she said.

“(But) there was no similar increase in Broadbeach and that raises the issue that if it’s working in Surfers but not Broadbeach, what are the conditions in which it’s effective to use these tools?

The Jack Beasley Foundation logo

“We don’t necessarily need them everywhere.”

During the hearing on Monday, Professor Ransley said her analysis of the trial showed there was no evidence of deterring youths from carrying knives.

“We saw increased detection, so that means that in Surfers Paradise, not Broadbeach, young people haven’t changed their behaviour,” she told the committee.

“Detection is one part of prevention.

“If you can detect the weapons before they are used, that’s a solid protection measure.

“It’s different, however, to deterring people from carrying weapons in the first place.”

Jack Beasley was stabbed to death outside the Surfers Paradise IGA in 2019. Picture: Facebook

Jack’s mother, Belinda Beasley, spoke of the family’s devastation when “we received the call that changed our lives forever”.

“A call that no parent should ever have to get – that Jack was not coming home,” she told the hearing.

Ms Beasley, along with husband Brett, established the Beasley Foundation and have campaigned tirelessly to reduce knife crime and lobbied for new legislation.

“We want young people to live their life without a knife,” she told the hearing on Monday.

“The foundation has been advocating for scanning facilities and wanding since early 2020.

“Our motto from the start was a simple one: detect knives, save lives.”