Police charge South Burnett men after finding knives during targeted operation

A South Burnett man and a teenager will face court charged with weapons offences after a targeted police operation in Kingaroy earlier this month.

A hunting knife seized during Operation Bushay in Kingaroy on April 8 from a 39-year-old Taabinga man. Photo credit: QPS Media

A South Burnett man and a teenager have been charged with weapons offences after a targeted police operation in Kingaroy earlier this month.

Operation Bushay was a “high-visibility policing operation” that targeted shops, carparks and other public areas.

Police carried out three handheld scanning operations, nine street checks, three full shopping centre walk-throughs, and several community engagements which resulted in two people arrested and charged with two offences.

A 39-year-old Taabinga man was arrested and charged with one count of possessing a knife in a public place after officers allegedly located a concealed hunting knife during a wanding operation at Kingaroy Shopping World on Alford Street on April 8.

He is due to appear in Kingaroy Magistrates Court on April 30.

Operation Bushay was a “high-visibility policing operation” that targeted shops, car parks and other public areas in Kingaroy that included “wanding” to detect weapons. Picture: Supplied

A 17-year-old Kingaroy male was also arrested and charged with one count of possessing a knife in a public place after officers allegedly found a knife in a shoulder bag during a wanding operation in the Kingaroy Shopping World on April 16.

He is due to appear in Kingaroy Magistrates Court on May 5.

Kingaroy CIB Officer in Charge Detective Sergeant Scott Prendergast said community safety was always at the forefront of their operations and that operations like this one can have a positive impact in reducing knife crime.

“By maintaining a strong police presence in areas frequented by the public, we were able to intervene early, prevent potential incidents, and remove dangerous items such as knives from the community,“ Det Sgt Prendergast said.

“We’ve seen firsthand how effective these operations have been in reducing knife crime and the recent extension of Jack’s Law in new authorised locations enhances our ability to take dangerous items off the streets.”