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New knife search laws will not solve the problem
26th Nov 2024
Plans to give Tasmanian police officers the power to use handheld scanners to detect possession of knives in public locations will do little to create a safer community, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance.
“Extra police powers will do little to help solve the problem of violence and will likely lead to the risk of people being searched based on racial and cultural stereotyping. This means vulnerable people in our community could be disproportionately targeted,” said Henry Pill, Tasmanian President, Australian Lawyers Alliance.
“The quicker we move from the current emphasis on law enforcement to solve this type of problem and focus on the broader social issues, the safer the community will be.”
The Australian Lawyers Alliance says that research from around the world shows that focusing on addressing the underlying causes of offending and investing in prevention strategies is much more effective than increasing police powers.
A study undertaken by Griffith University in 2022 about the impact of wanding on knife crime on the Gold Coast showed that wanding did not reduce the use of weapons to commit crimes, and it did not deter people from carrying weapons, even when they knew there was a risk of being wanded.
“Knife crime will not go away because police wander around searching people on trains, buses and in shopping malls. But it will be reduced if we put resources into intervening in the lives of young at risk offenders,” said Greg Barns SC, criminal justice spokesperson, Australian Lawyers Alliance.
“Decisions to increase police powers must be based on research and evidence, not politics. Increasing police powers is a simplistic solution to a complex issue and will not solve the problem in the long term.”
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