A trial to use metal-detecting wands in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach has uncovered 133 concealed weapons and resulted in hundreds of arrests, Queensland Police have said.
The trial began in May last year and followed several woundings and deaths that prompted community concerns about people bringing hidden weapons like knives into the popular night-life precinct.
This included the stabbing deaths of 17-year-old Jack Beasley in December 2019 and 27-year-old Raymond Harris in September 2020.
Weapons uncovered during the "wanding" trial included machetes, a bush saw and tomahawk, sharpened screw drivers, flick knives, replica guns and knuckle dusters.
Jack's father Brett Beasley said the 12-month trial, which ended this week, has "got to stay".
"The ultimate thing first was to detect knives but all these other weapons, it's scary," he said.
"We don't want any other family to go through what our family is, and has been, going through."
More than just wanding
Over the past year police conducted 748 operations across Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, with 11,775 people wanded, of which 3,275 were juveniles.
106 people were charged with weapon offences and 230 people were charged with other offences.
In total, 467 charges resulted from the wanding trial, including more than 100 drug offences, breaches of bail, warrant offences and breaches of domestic violence matters.
South-east Queensland Acting Assistant Commissioner Rhys Wildman said the trial was "about a far bigger picture than just the wanding itself".
"We extract certain information and, as a result, inquiries are made and we find other things that sort of fall out of those wanding operations," he said.
He said the number of woundings reported in Surfers Paradise over the past 12 months had dropped from 17 to two, while the number of armed hold ups had dropped from 18 to nine.
When asked why people were carrying weapons, he said a common response had been "for self-protection".
"If you are in a position where you are afraid to leave your premises or your house, your home, and head into the public, and feel as though you have to carry a weapon for your protection, then you need to change your circumstances," Assistant Commissioner Rhys Wildman said.
"You need to change your associates, who you're associated with, your friendship circle, what you're doing and where you’re going."
Police want permanent wanding
The wanding trial was implemented as part of a suite of reforms to Queensland's youth justice laws and ran 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Assistant Commissioner Wildman said the median age of offenders was 19 years old and "reflective of the clientele coming into the safe night precinct".
While the trial had ended, he said wanding operations would continue "until a decision was made around the legislation" as part of a 12-month sunset clause in the youth justice reforms.
He said Griffith University would review the trial and provide a report to the state government, which would then consider whether to make the program permanent.
Assistant Commissioner Rhys Wildman said "the numbers just speak for themselves".
"Not only the prevention element but also the reduction in reported offences, it just ticks all the boxes," he said.
Brett Beasley said the foundation his family named after his son planned to focus on educating school students.
"Teaching these young kids today the snowball effect and the repercussions if they carry a knife and if they use a knife," he said.
