Police in Gold Coast party precinct knife blitz before ‘Jack’s Law’ passed in parliament this week
As police prepare to roll out metal detectors in party precincts and train stations across Queensland, reporter Greg Stolz hit the streets to find out just how dangerous it is in our top night spots.
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Police are preparing to roll out metal detectors in party precincts and train stations across Queensland, with the historic “Jack’s Law” to be passed in state parliament this week in a bid to slash deadly knife crime.
More than two dozen officers on the Gold Coast conducted a wanding blitz on Friday, during which revellers were stopped and searched in the Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach Safe Night Precincts.
The Surfers crews focused on the throbbing Orchid Ave nightclub strip as well as Cavill Mall and Surfers tram stations.
Those “wanded” included young teens hanging on the street in groups, some sporting mullets and bum bags.
A young girl out with friends was also detained by police after appearing intoxicated.
One young reveller the Sunday Mail spoke to said people were getting stabbed for refusing to hand over their shoes to knife-wielding attackers.
“It’s stupid,” he said. “They’re just little young eshays that think they’re hard but they’re not.”
Another young man who was scanned by cops outside an Orchid Ave convenience store said: “We live somewhere safe – we don’t need to carry a knife.”
His mate said the police were doing a “good job”.
“It’s not all right to carry knives, absolutely not … keep it to the fists (if you must fight).”
Since the wanding trial began in April 2021, almost 23,000 people had been scanned.
The trial was established after intense lobbying from Brett and Belinda Beasley, Jack Beasley’s shattered parents, following his fatal stabbing just before Christmas 2019 amid a wave of knife violence.
A total of 266 weapons including knives, machetes, tomahawks, swords, pruning saws and replica guns have been seized by police who have also charged 672 people with 1015 offences including possessing weapons and drugs.
Entertainment precinct Inspector Jim Munckton said most people caught with bladed weapons told police they were carrying them for “self-protection”.
“They feel like they need protection from other people,” he said.
“Unfortunately, they don’t realise that in the event of getting into an altercation, the knife they’re carrying might very well be used against them.”
No weapons were found during Friday night’s operation but police said that was a good thing.
“If we kept continually finding knives, that would be disappointing,” Surfers Paradise police officer-in-charge Senior-Sergeant Brad Rix said.
“It would mean that people aren’t listening to the message.”
Cops statewide are now preparing to hit more streets in anticipation of “Jack’s Law” being quickly passed by MPs.
As soon as it is, the wanding program will be rolled out across the state’s 15 Safe Night Precincts as well as on public transport.
Sen Sgt Brad Rix said the reaction of people being scanned on Friday night was overwhelmingly “extremely positive”.
He said many younger people gathering in Surfers knew Jack Beasley or his family and supported the wanding scheme.
“Considering you are stopping someone, they’re in a public place and you are running a wand over them for a minute or two, the hostility and even negative reaction is minimal,” he said.
“People understand the reasons behind it. (There’s) very little resistance at all.”
Mr Beasley told the Sunday Mail he and his wife were looking forward to Jack’s Law being passed “with flying colours”.
“It will save lives, it’s as simple as that,” he said.
“It’s something every Queenslander wants, not just us.”
The Beasleys are hopeful Queensland Governor Dr Jeannette Young will sign off on the law on Sunday, on what would have been Jack’s 21st birthday.
“What better 21st birthday present could you get?” he said.
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