A trial of metal-detecting wands on the Gold Coast has busted a staggering amount of people carrying knives and weapons in the nightlife precincts.
Within the 12-month trial in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, 106 people were caught and charged with carrying weapons with a total of 133 weapons seized.
The operation was prompted by the fatal stabbing of 17-year old Jack Beasley in Surfers Paradise in December 2019.
Belinda and Brett Beasley, who founded the ‘Jack Beasley Foundation’ in honour of his memory, want the wanding operation to become permanent.
“It’s obviously working and it’s saving lives,” Mr Beasley says
“As far as I’m concerned, I think every Police Officer in Queensland should have a metal-detecting wand on them at all times.”
Acting Assistant Commissioner Rhys Wildman and Brett Beasley
Almost 12,000 individuals were wanded over the 12-month operation, with Police agreeing the operation was a huge success for the Gold Coast.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Rhys Wildman says the operation also led to over 200 other unrelated charges.
“There are some halo effects in a positive manner that have come out of our wanding operations,” Wildman says.
“Additional arrests have included drug matters, well over 100 beaches of bail, warrant offences, breaches of domestic violence and other criminal matters.”
The weaponry found did not constrict to just knives, with Police also finding people carrying tomahawks, screwdrivers, knuckle dusters, flick knives and replica firearms.
“Any gambit of weaponry you can think of, we’ve found it here over the last twelve months.”
Over the trial period, there was also an 88% decrease in wounding’s and a 50% decrease in armed holdups on the Gold Coast.
The operation wrapped up on the weekend, with a report now being compiled to hand to State Government who will make a decision about legislation.
Wanding will continue on an ongoing basis in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach up until the legislation is either repealed or amended.
WATCH: Weapon seizures and subsequent arrests at Surfers Paradise
