Communities across the Upper Hunter could see expanded knife-scanning operations after the State Government introduced legislation to make police wanding powers permanent.
The laws build on an 18-month trial that began in December 2024, allowing police to stop and scan individuals with handheld metal detectors in declared public areas. A wanding operation can be declared for any area where at least one knife offence, one serious violent offence, or more than one weapons possession offence has occurred in the previous 12 months.
As part of the trail, Hunter Valley Police searched for knives in Muswellbrook, Singleton and Cessnock in Feburary this year. The trial saw 406 wanding operations conducted and 59,228 scans completed. Across NSW, 380 weapons have been seized and 200 charges laid for weapons offences, while more than 15,000 knives have been removed from public places since April 2023.
The new legislation extends the maximum declaration period from 12 to 24 hours and expands eligible locations to include major entertainment venues, on top of shopping centres and transport hubs.
Minister for the Hunter and Police Yasmin Catley said the laws followed a successful trial, a statutory review and a recommendation from the Bondi Junction Coronial Inquest to consider making the powers permanent.
“We have seen too many families’ lives torn apart from senseless knife attacks,” Ms Catley said.
“Every weapon taken off the street is a potential tragedy prevented and a potential life saved.”
The legislation builds on earlier reforms including doubling the maximum penalty for knife crime from two to four years’ imprisonment and prohibiting the sale of knives to people under 18 without a reasonable excuse.
