The possession of knives in public places poses a significant risk to community safety, with the potential for altercations to quickly escalate to the use of a weapon. In response to this concern, the QPS conducted a 12-month trial of scanning people for knives on the two Gold Coast safe night precincts.
As a result of the success of the trial, the Police Powers and Responsibilities (Jack’s Law) Amendment Act 2023 was passed that:
- extends the expiry date of the scanning provisions to 30 April 2025
- increases the scope of prescribed public areas for scanning to include all 15 safe night precincts and all public transport stations, including public transport vehicles, and
- strengthens the criteria that a senior police officer must consider before approving the use of a hand held scanner device.