Allan government adds three years to knife crime sentences under tough new laws
The Allan government will introduce stand-alone knife crime penalties in its latest effort to tackle the state’s crime crisis. Meanwhile, police have seized a record number of edged weapons this year.
Victoria will get tough new stand-alone knife crime penalties as police seizures of edged weapons smash records.
The Herald Sun can reveal the Allan government will introduce new specific offences into the Crimes Act related to knife use.
Offenders could face an additional three years in prison on top of whatever a court hands down for the existing offence.
An example would be a situation where an offender had been involved in a brawl in a public place while wielding a machete.
That person would be exposed to prosecution and sentencing under the government’s knife crime provisions, on top of the affray charge commonly in use.
The new offence will relate to a range of other specific indictable crimes which will be determined after a consultation process.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines said there were too many victims of knife crime and not enough consequences.
“Knife crime has torn too many families and communities apart. It’s why we’ll introduce a new offence that targets the harm this causes,” he said.
“This will send a clear message to anyone using one of these dangerous weapons to terrorise others — you will face serious sequences.”
Police have seized more than 15,000 knives and other edged weapons this year, eclipsing the 2024 record with six weeks to spare.
Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said he was “acutely aware” of the level of community concern at a time when knives, machetes and zombie weapons are being confiscated and destroyed at a rate of 47 per day.
At the current pace, there will be 50 per cent more knives seized than a decade ago when records were first taken.
Melbourne has been hit by a number of disturbing attacks involving knives and other blades in recent months, among them the brutal murders in September of Dau Akueng, 15, and Chol Achiek, 12, who were ambushed as they walked home from basketball in Cobblebank in Melbourne’s west.
Other horrifying cases have included the random stabbing in the chest of a woman in the CBD last month and a stabbing in a brawl at Broadmeadows.
Mr Bush said the incidents struck at the heart of how safe people were and how safe they felt.
“The simple fact is knife crime leads to nothing but immense harm and significant trauma – whether it be physical or psychological,” he said.
“This is why police are relentlessly pursuing anyone who thinks it’s acceptable to carry a knife or machete.”
Mr Bush said his officers did an exceptional job removing knives from the wrong hands and destroying them.
He said the knife seizure record had been broken for the second year running.
“Knives and machetes have no place at your local shopping centre, bus stop or train station, and we’ll continue to use every available avenue to ensure our community is safe,” Mr Bush said.
Many of the weapons uncovered are being found in targeted searches on the homes of known offenders.
Among them are the hundreds of youth gang members under the watch of Operation Alliance.
They are scrutinised using regular bail compliance checks, search warrants and vehicle intercepts and during planned operations in public places.
The 39 special OMNI operations held this year at places like public transport hubs and shopping centres resulted in the seizure of 129 weapons.
The number was only a small proportion of the 15,010 total but senior police believe the OMNI work serves as a crucial deterrent.
Originally published as Allan government adds three years to knife crime sentences under tough new laws
