Police Searches Using Metal Detectors (Qld)

In June 2024, the Queensland government passed legislation to make Jack’s Law permanent. Jack’s law is legislation that gives police the power to use handheld metal detectors to locate knives and other weapons in certain public places. This page outlines the powers Queensland police now have to conduct searches using metal detectors.

Legislation

The Making Jack’s Law Permanent Act 2025 amends the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000.

Jack’s Law

Jack’s Law is named after Jack Beasley, a 17-year-old boy who was stabbed to death during a night out in Surfer’s Paradise in 2019.

Jack’s law was trialed in Queensland during several periods starting in May 2021. The initial trial was conducted in the Surfer’s Paradise and Broadbeach Safe Night Precincts and allowed police to use a handheld scanner to detect whether a person was carrying a knife in these areas.

The trial was expanded several times to include other public areas, including public transport stations and public transport vehicles, shopping centres, and all Safe Night Precincts.

The trial period was due to end in October 2026.

Police search powers

Under Jack’s Law, Queensland police now have the following powers:

• To detain and scan a person using a handheld metal detector in a relevant place
• To detain and scan a person using a handheld metal detector in a place that is not a relevant place after obtaining authority from a senior officer

These powers represent significant increases to the search powers of police. Previously, police were empowered to search a person in a public place without a warrant, only if they had a reasonable suspicion that the person was committing or had committed an offence.

Jack’s Law allows police to conduct personal searches at random, without a warrant, and without the requirement that there is a reasonable suspicion that the person is involved in an offence.

Relevance places

The following are relevant places for the purposes of the Act:

• All Queensland Safe Night Precincts
• Public transport stations
• Public transport vehicles
• Shopping centres
• Retail premises
• Sporting and entertainment venues
• Licences premises
• Rail lines.

What does scanning involve?

When a person is scanned under the new law, they may be:

• stopped and subjected to the use of a scanner
• required to produce the thing that may be causing the scanner to go off
• required to resubmit to the use of the scanner
• required to comply with the confiscation of the knife or other weapon.

Rationale for the law

The Queensland government has stated that the purpose of the law is to enhance community safety and security by preventing knife crime. It says that the law will ensure that the rights of victims are given priority over the rights of offenders and that the law limits human rights in Queensland only to the extent that is reasonable and justifiable.

During the period between April 2023 and June 2025, the police seized 1100 weapons, with one per cent of the people scanned found to be carrying a weapon. Acting Assistance Commissioner Rhys Wildman said this was a huge concern.

Community responses

The law has been criticised by the public for a range of reasons including the widespread belief that it will not lead to a reduction in violent crime.

Griffith University Professor Janet Ransley, who co-conducted a review of the 12-month trial of Jack’s Law on the Gold Coast said that the law was unlikely to achieve its objective, and that a significant amount of resources was being committed to a tactic that had no evidence to support it.

Human rights and legal groups have also raised concerns that the laws would lead to discriminatory practices, with stereotypes about Indigenous youth and homeless people likely to lead to over-policing of communities that are already overrepresented in the justice system.

Brett Beasley, the father of Jack Beasley, described the law as ‘one of the most powerful’ to be introduced in the state and said, ‘we are super proud.’

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