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Police in New South Wales will be able to "wand" anyone in designated areas for a weapon, under a state government proposal to combat knife crime. Officers will not need a warrant, nor will they need to have a reasonable suspicion someone is carrying a knife before they use the metal-detecting wands on members of the public. The police powers will be available in areas where a knife crime has occurred within the past six months, including transport hubs, shopping centres, pubs and clubs. The authority will last for 12 hours but can be extended. Under the proposed laws, it will also be illegal to sell a knife to anyone under the age of 18, although exceptions will be made for people who need a knife for work or study. The current age limit is 16. NSW Premier Chris Minns says the changes will send a message that knife crime is not acceptable in NSW.(AAP: Dan Himbrechts) Premier Chris Minns said the changes were "commonsense," following a series of violent incidents involving knives, including the Bondi Westfield attack, the church stabbing at Wakeley and the fatal stabbing of a teenager at Blacktown. "In recent weeks and months, we have all borne witness to the devastating outcomes of knife related violence," the premier said in a statement. "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." Mr Minns said the new powers would deter young people from carrying a knife. "What it will do is for a certain cohort that are at the moment routinely taking with them a knife, my hope is the fear of being intercepted by NSW Police would lead them to leave their knife at home," he said. "It's not going to extinguish all incidents of knife related crime in the state, there are stabbing implements or knives in every kitchen in the state." The premier said the legislation would be introduced in state parliament next week. The legislation, which is still being finalised, will be based on Jack's Law, introduced by the Queensland government following the stabbing murder of 17-year-old Jack Beasley. His parents, Brett and Belinda Beasley, met with senior members of the NSW government last week and urged them to follow Queensland's lead. "It's something that the NSW people need and want," Mr Beasley said. "I've had literally hundreds and hundreds of messages of support and love, and the NSW police service absolutely love these powers." Police will have the power to stop and search people in areas where a knife crime has occurred in the past six months. (ABC News: Brendan Esposito) While community concern over knife crime may be growing, statistics show it has been trending down for years. In 2004, there were 4,258 violent knife incidents, whereas in 2023 that figure was 1,518, according to the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR). The Council for Civil Liberties has warned the declining knife rate does not support the proposed introduction of wanding. President Lydia Shelley told ABC Radio Sydney she was concerned the Bondi Junction tragedy was being used to score political points. "We're really concerned that the expansion of police powers is not actually going to make any of the perceived risk to the community any less," she said. "These laws would not have stopped that terrible tragedy that occurred in Bondi a few weeks ago." The NSW Police Union has been advocating for expanded wanding powers, pointing to statistics from Queensland which showed more than 500 weapons were seized during the first year of Jack's Law being in operation. The NSW Police Union says officers in Queensland seized more than 500 weapons during the first year of Jack's Law.(Supplied: Queensland Police) The government's announcement on Tuesday is likely to anger civil liberties groups, which have previously argued that expanded search powers would not have prevented the Bondi or Wakeley attacks. However, Attorney-General Michael Daley said the proposed changes would send a signal that it was "not OK to carry a knife". "There are too many young people who think it is OK to put a knife into their pocket to carry out their daily business," he said. "The worrying thing is that, if they are open to carrying it, then they are probably open to using it." Posted 6 May 20246 May 2024Mon 6 May 2024 at 7:19pm, updated 7 May 20247 May 2024Tue 7 May 2024 at 3:06amKnife crime declining in NSW