QPS statistics reveal knife-related crimes on the rise in QLD

Knife crime is on the rise across QLD and police are urging our state’s youngest to stop arming themselves with the deadly weapons.

Knife crime is on the rise across Queensland and police are desperate to stop our state’s youngest arming themselves with the deadly weapons.

Queensland Police figures released to Quest show the number of people carrying knives is at a five-year high, up 37 per cent from 2015 while violent crimes involving knives are up 17 per cent in the same period.

Fifteen people lost their lives because of knives and police have charged 4551 people with possessing a knife in a public place between January and November this year.

Redcliffe teenager Angus Beaumont, 15, was killed in a stabbing incident as he walked home from McDonald’s in February.

Police also issued 710 charges to people breaching domestic violence orders by carrying a knife – up almost 20 per cent from 2015.

Over 25 years of policing, Acting Inspector of Logan Police District Ken Murray has seen first-hand the devastation knives can cause, helping to solve countless knife crimes and homicides.

Act Insp Murray said the numbers did concern him and the consequences of knife crime were “devastating to see”.

“Knife crime is on the increase, no doubt,” he said.

“Queensland Police Service and the community as a whole, we all need to work together to act swiftly on this because of the rise.”

Logan father Raymond Harris died after he was allegedly stabbed to death while out in Surfer’s Paradise on September 23.

Act Insp Murray said he believed Queensland’s youth are carrying weapons because they believe it will protect them – when often the opposite is true.

“Basically it’s people seeking to use a knife for protection or status,” he said.

“We all need to communicate to our youth that It’s not okay to carry a knife, there’s consequences when you carry a knife – just don’t carry a knife.”

One year ago in Logan, Act Insp Murray decided to get on the front foot of knife crime by kickstarting a pilot knife awareness campaign.

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As part of the campaign, police increased patrols in the Logan area and looked at possession offences with more intensity.

Anecdotally, Act Insp Murray believes it has led to a 60 per cent drop in knife crime in the Logan region.

“It’s senseless because this is so easy to solve if people just make those choices just to not carry knives,” he said

“Never think a knife is less dangerous than a gun. A knife can harm you as badly, knives are deadly.”