WA will introduce the new laws regarding knife crimes which will be the toughest in the country.
The laws will be allowing the officers to scan people using wands in any public place even if they are not suspected of carrying a weapon.
To facilitate the knife scans, ‘Knife Wanding Areas’ (KWAs) will be formed.
Five Protected Entertainment Precincts (PEPs) in Scarborough, Hillarys, Mandurah, Northbridge, Perth, and Fremantle will be also established as permanent KWAs to enable search for weapons.
Carrying a knife for self-defence reasons will not be considered a lawful excuse and anyone who will resist scan will face a fine of up to $12,000 and/or jail for up to 12 months.
It’s believed the government of WA was inspired by Queensland’s ‘Jack’s Law’, named after 17-year-old Jack Beasley who was fatally stabbed in 2019 on the Gold Coast.
Since Jack’s Law was implemented statewide in Queensland last year, more than 560 weapons had been confiscated.
The number of incidents where ‘stabbing’ was the primary problem has increased since 2013 to 2023 in the state, according to the figures by to the ABC.