NSW passes Jack’s Law to fight knife crime

NSW has passed new laws to tackle knife crime by giving police extra powers to keep knives off the streets and restrict the sale of knives to children.

Under the powers, which are modeled on Queensland’s Jack’s Law, police will be able to use hand-held scanners – electronic metal-detecting ‘wands’ – to stop and scan people in designated areas without a warrant.

These areas include shopping precincts, sporting venues and public transport stations, with the law having been changed following a spate of stabbing incidents, such as the mass murder at the Westfield shopping center in Bondi Junction.

The areas will only be penalized in circumstances where ‘a relevant crime involving weapons, knives or violence has occurred in the last twelve months’.

A senior police officer can file a report, which allows police to scan people for an initial period of 12 hours, but this can be extended.

NSW Premier Chris Minns thanked the Queensland Government and Brett and Belinda Beasley for their assistance.

The NSW law is modeled on Jack’s Law, which the Queensland government passed in 2023 following the stabbing death of Mr and Mrs Beasley’s son Jack in 2019.

The 17-year-old died after being stabbed by a group in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast.

The law passed by the NSW Government also increases the maximum penalty for selling a knife to a child under the age of 16 and introduces a new offense banning the sale of a knife to 16 or 17 year olds without a reasonable excuse.

It also doubles the maximum penalty for selling a knife to a child, which is now set at $11,000, 12 months in prison or both.

There are facilities for every child aged 16 to 17 who needs knives for work or study, such as catering students and students in certain professions.

Mr Minns said this law would send a clear message to all knife carriers.

“Our state continues to be shaken by the devastating wave of knife-related violence,” he said.

‘We have taken action to send a clear message that NSW simply will not accept this type of crime.

“These are common sense changes that strike a careful balance between preserving the rights of individuals and ensuring communities remain safe.”

The Prime Minister said he wanted to ‘sincerely thank Belinda and Brett Beasley whose advocacy has helped change the law, making NSW a safer place.’

The NSW law is modeled on Jack’s Law, which the Queensland government passed in 2023 following the death of Belinda and Brett Beasley’s son Jack in 2019. Mrs and Mr Beasley are pictured

NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley said the new laws would make people safer.

“We want to make sure people in the community feel safe and are safe. They rightly expect the Government to do more to achieve that and this new law will help keep our streets safer,” he said.

‘Knife crime is unacceptable. The ability of police to ‘walk’ people will help prevent people from getting hurt and deter people from carrying them and increase community safety.

‘These stricter maximum sentences highlight the seriousness of knife-related crime.’

But the shadow attorney general, Alister Henskens, said the law is pointless because it requires police to advertise which areas will be targeted, undermining its purpose.

NSW Attorney General Michael Daley (pictured, standing) said the new laws would make people safer

“It is incredibly disappointing to see the Minns Labor Government voting against amendments that would increase community safety and give NSW Police the powers they need to take knives off our streets,” he said .

The amendment proposed by the opposition was intended to give police the power to search people for hidden knives at any time and in any place.

“The proposed laws are simply not enough to protect our communities from potential knife attacks,” Shadow Police Minister Paul Toole said.

‘The police must be given the opportunity to carry out searches anytime and anywhere.’