Scandalous places crims stashing weapons in Qld shopping malls, as SCCA calls for tougher action on violent crimes

Queensland shopping centres are demanding tougher action to stamp out violent crimes, as they reveal criminals are stashing knives and other deadly weapons in almost plain sight in the heart of the state’s malls.

Thugs are stashing knives and other weapons inside decorative plants at shopping centres, an industry peak body has warned, calling for even tougher laws to curb violent crime.

The state government has put forward proposed laws to ban the sale of gel blasters, replica guns and knives to children in a bid to combat youth offending and knife crime.

But the Shopping Centre Council of Australia wants the government go further and make the “deliberate concealment” of a weapon an offence.

The SCCA says staff are finding knives and other weapons stashed in places such as plants and planter boxes at shopping centres.

Police confirmed they found knives left in planter boxes.

“We do find them,” a North Queensland-based police officer said. “We don’t know whether they are hidden there with the intention of going back for them, or whether they’ve been ditched in there, but they are around.”

Wanding operations are also carried out in shopping centres, with sources saying officers might find one or two weapons on a busy night.

The Shopping Centre Council of Australia says staff are finding knives and other weapons stashed in places such as plants and planter boxes at shopping centres. Picture: Liam Kidston

“Normally it’s a pocket knife in their bag,” they said. “Knives to us are not as big of a threat as they are down south where there are more youth gangs.”

SCCA chief executive Angus Nardi said one weapon being found was one too many and anyone who deliberately concealed knives and weapons was doing so to potentially undermine Jack’s Law.

“Our top priority is ensuring the community’s safety within shopping centres, and we believe the parliamentary committee and government should also consider the deliberate concealment of weapons to be an offence,” he said.

Jack’s Law – which empowers police to scan people for knives using handheld metal detectors – was a result of advocacy by Brett and Belinda Beasley, whose son Jack, 17, was fatally stabbed in 2019.

Data from November reveals police seized 350 weapons since Jack’s Law was passed in March, with 904 people charged with nearly 1600 offences.

Under the latest proposed laws, it would become a crime to sell gel blasters, replica guns, machetes, axes and other bladed items such as swords to people under 18. Retailers would be forced to display signage outlining rules against selling those items to juveniles and anyone caught trying to use fake identification to skirt the rules will face severe penalties.

Shocking “violent” terms used to market bladed weapons such as “head splitter” and “zombie killer” would also be outlawed.

The proposed laws will bring Queensland into line with other Australian jurisdictions.

The committee is due to publish its report in February.