ACT Policing officers can currently only search a person for weapons if they have reasonable suspicion that the person is carrying something dangerous. Photo: Claire Fenwicke.
The ACT Government will be urged today (16 May) to consider giving police officers new powers to identify people carrying knives in public places.
The Canberra Liberals will move a motion in the Legislative Assembly for the government to look into establishing something similar to ‘Jack’s Law’, which would allow police to use metal detection wands on people without reasonable suspicion in designated areas.
The law has been passed in Queensland, and the NSW Parliament has committed to a similar version.
Shadow Attorney-General Peter Cain described the law as a “sensible and measured way” to improve community safety and expand police capabilities.
“The evidence suggests that the existing scheme to frisk and search for weapons on people is informed by outdated legislation, exposing police to the risk of sustaining a needle stick or similar injuries,” he said.
“Ordinary frisk searches are also more intrusive and less human rights compliant than the proposed reforms.”
The call comes off the back of the deadly knife attacks at Bondi Junction, in which six people were killed, and the stabbing incident at Wakeley Church in Sydney’s west.
Shadow Police Minister James Milligan said these reforms should also be considered given the ACT’s knife-related crime history, such as the fatal Civic nightclub stabbing in 2020 and the non-fatal alleged ANU stabbing incidents in 2023.
“These new laws could be deployed in designated areas at high risk of violence, such as nightclubs, public transport hubs and shopping centres,” he said.
Number of offences reported to ACT Policing where a knife or sharp instrument was involved. Photo: ACT Policing.
According to ACT Policing data, 32 arrests have led to the person being charged for possession of a knife without a reasonable excuse between January and April of this year.
That compares to 122 apprehensions leading to charge in 2023, 129 in 2022, 102 in 2021 and 105 in 2020. (It’s important to note these numbers cover lockdown periods during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.)
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data on recorded crime (victims) from 2022 showed most homicides and related offences in the Territory did not involve a weapon of any kind (78 per cent), and there was a similar trend for assaults (89 per cent had no weapon involved).
It is a crime in the ACT for a person to carry a knife, without a reasonable excuse, in a public place.
The Crimes Act 1900 (ACT) grants ACT Policing powers to search a person for possession of a knife or other weapon, but they must have reasonable suspicion that a person is carrying an offensive item.
The Canberra Liberals’ motion will call on the ACT Government to consider increasing police powers consistent with Jack’s Law and for a report back to the Assembly by the last sitting day in August.
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