Queensland Police’s top brass have joined in a demonstration of powerful new laws that give police the ability to stop and search members of the public in Cairns’ Safe Night Precinct. Here’s what they found.
Queensland Police in Surfers Paradise searching for knives as part of a metal detecting wand trial in the wake of teen Jack Beasley’s death.
In a bid to keep knives off the streets, “Jack’s Law” was passed earlier this year, giving police stronger powers to stop and search members of the public, after Gold Coast teenager Jack Beasley was stabbed to death in a street attack in 2019
On Thursday evening, Cairns police officers put their shoe leather to the footpath on their fourth “wanding operation”, but with a difference.
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll and Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Wheeler joined the operational officers in the Cairns Safe Night Precinct.
Queensland Police officers conduct a wanding operation, searching for concealed knives and weapons on patrons in the Cairns Safe Night Precinct using newly commissioned metal detector wands. It was the fourth operation in Cairns and more are planned. Picture: Andrew McKenna
“It’s great to be back in Cairns because I’m from this part of the world, to really catch up with the troops and enjoy a few hours with them,” Commissioner Carroll said.
“We’ve been living and breathing this (wanding operation).
“It is extraordinarily exciting to have this power, and we have to be very careful with how we administer it.”
Queensland Police officers explain the operation to a member of the public on the Esplanade, part of the Safe Night Precinct. Picture: Andrew McKenna
The knife detection law was officially signed off on April 3 this year, the same day Jack Beasley would have turned 21.
He was stabbed on the Gold Coast in 2019, and a 15-year-old boy was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to murder and two counts of committing malicious acts.
“The law is purely about detecting knives, detecting weapons, and it is deterrence so people don’t bring knives into the Safe Night Precinct,” Acting Commissioner Wheeler said.
Queensland Police officers conduct a wanding operation in the Cairns Safe Night Precinct. Picture: Andrew McKenna
“With the Gold Coast trial we saw 23,000 wandings over a two-year period, and 266 weapons were detected, everything from knives, knuckledusters, bush saws, firearms.
“Some of the knives were hunting weapons only designed for one purpose, for killing things and killing people.”
Cairns police on Thursday evening fanned out up Spence Street and onto the Esplanade, wands in hand.
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll conducts a search for knives and weapons on patrons in the Cairns Safe Night Precinct using new metal detector wands. Picture: Andrew McKenna
The atmosphere was friendly and everyone the Cairns Post saw being wanded was cooperative if not happy to see police in force.
Officers on patrol were told that the power to stop people randomly is a strong law, and they were reminded not to focus on any one demographic, to keep their body cameras on, and to record the information they gathered.
Deputy Commissioner Mark Wheeler tries his hand with a little wanding action on Thursday night.
“If we misuse this power, even if it’s inadvertently, we’ll lose it, it’s as simple as that,” the Deputy Commissioner said.
Keeping the community safe is arguably too high a stake and police are approaching the job as a privilege.
“I think across the state there’s been some extraordinary successes. We’re lucky to have this power to be able to keep these areas safe,” Commissioner Carroll said.
On Thursday night 25 people were wanded and one knife was found.
Police will conduct further operations throughout the Safe Night Precinct.
Queensland Police officers at the Cairns Police Station ahead of conducting the wanding operation, searching for knives and weapons on patrons in the Cairns Safe Night Precinct using new metal detector wands. Picture: Andrew McKenna
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