The NSW government is proposing new laws which allow police to use metal-detection wands in public spaces in an effort to combat knife crime.

Police will be able to use hand-held metal detectors without needing a warrant in some areas such as shopping centres and transport hubs.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the new powers will be implemented following the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing where six people died last month. The proposal also stems from the Wakeley church stabbing that occurred only days later and the recent fatal stabbing of a teenager in Blacktown.

“Our communities are still in mourning, but it’s essential that we step up to take immediate action to send a clear message that New South Wales will simply not accept these kinds of crimes,” he said.

Attorney-General Michael Daley said that too many young people think it is okay to carry a knife around in their pocket on a daily basis.

“The worrying thing is that, if they are open to carrying it, then they are probably open to using it,” he said.

The new legislation will be based upon Queensland’s Jack’s Law, which was introduced in the state last year following the death of 17-year-old Jack Beasley in 2019.

NSW police minister Yasmine Carley thanked Jack’s parents after they shared their knowledge on the effectiveness of the strategy.

“No parent should go through what the Beasleys and many other families have gone through,” she said. “No life should be cut short by violent crime.”

The NSW government is also introducing laws which make it illegal to sell knives to children who do not require them for work or study purposes.

Photo: Fundraising function for Mr Edmond Atalla MP, State Member for Member for Mount Druitt, with then NSW Opposition Leader, Mr Chris Minns MP by Phil Desveaux is available HERE and is used under a Creative Commons Licence. This image has not been modified.