Police seize knives at 93 youth crime offences on the Gold Coast from January to November 2019

Police data has revealed an astonishing surge in the number of crimes involving knives by 10 to 17-year-olds on the Gold Coast. SEE THE FIGURES

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THE number of juvenile crimes involving knives has doubled in four years, alarming police figures reveal.

Fresh data obtained by the Bulletin show knives were seized in 93 offences committed by 10 to 17-year-olds on the Gold Coast in the 11 months to November last year.

In all of 2016, there was 50.

Knife violence has claimed five lives on the Gold Coast in 15 months, including 17-year-olds Harrison Geppert (September 2019) and Jack Beasley (December 2019).

Brett Beasley, who alongside his wife Belinda, established a foundation in their son’s name to target knife violence, told the Bulletin: “One person carrying a knife is bad enough, let alone those figures. That’s just crazy.

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Brett Beasley and Belinda Beasley. Picture Glenn Hampson

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“They should be carrying a footy around or a tennis racket, or cricket bat. What’s wrong with these kids? Where’s their parents?”

Detective Inspector Paul Dalton, who said children often carried knives for a false sense of protection, or status among peers, put the rise in seizures down to increased enforcement.

“You can definitely see there’s an increase there between 2016 and now,” he said.

“The majority of those (offences) are possessing in a public place. I’d probably put that (increase) down to police being more aware of the situation, certainly having a more … focus and awareness that people are carrying knives, which tends to up our enforcement action.”

Detective Inspector Paul Dalton

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He said police continued to patrol transport corridors and entertainment precincts in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.

Insp Dalton noted few knives were seized during violent crimes.

Police are now taking an educational approach to break the cycle of knife violence.

Police investigate the scene of the stabbing death of 27-year-old Raymond Harris in Surfers Paradise last year.

Insp Dalton said the preference was to now send appropriate youths to restorative justice where they are taught the dangers of carrying a knife. He denied it was a slap on the wrist.

“My view is we want to stop people taking knives out in the first place. It’s really about education and getting that message out there to keep the knife at home, there’s no need to have it out.

“If you’ve got the knife on you there’s always that temptation to produce it. You might not intend to hurt someone, but all you’ve got to do is have that knife produced … someone could die.”

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