Almost 200,000 people searched for weapons in Qld in the last year

In the past year, Queensland police have conducted nearly 200,000 searches for weapons in public places across the state, leading to the seizure of over 1,400 weapons. This figure includes more than 300 weapons confiscated in Brisbane alone, resulting in 700 arrests and 1,400 charges. Police Minister Dan Purdie emphasized that these confiscated weapons have been destroyed at an e-recycling facility, noting that the true intent behind every weapon remains unknown.

The legislation, known as Jack's Law, is named after Jack Beasley, a teenager who was fatally stabbed on the Gold Coast in 2019. Under the law, police can randomly search individuals for weapons without a warrant in public areas. Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie stressed that Jack's Law has made Queenslanders safer, as people are now less likely to carry knives in public.

Police reported recent incidents such as a large machete taken from a 17-year-old in Fortitude Valley and a hunting knife confiscated from an 18-year-old in the same area on the same night. Another large machete was seized from a 15-year-old boy at a shopping complex in South Brisbane. Despite making up only 4.6 percent of Queensland's population, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accounted for more than one in ten weapon searches.

Police Minister Dan Purdie reaffirmed that the laws are non-discriminatory, applying to everyone in public spaces across the state.