Jack’s Law is the name for police powers, under chapter 2, part 3A of the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 (Qld), that let a police officer use a handheld scanner (“wanding”) to check whether someone is carrying a knife or other weapon, without a warrant. Since July 2025 the powers are permanent and apply across the whole of Queensland, not just the original Gold Coast trial precincts. Police can wand you without a warrant in a defined list of “relevant places” (below), and elsewhere with a senior officer’s authorisation. If a wand detects a weapon and you don’t have a reasonable excuse for having it, you can be charged, and what that charge looks like is explained further down this page.
It’s named after Jack Beasley, a Queensland teenager fatally stabbed during a night out in Surfers Paradise in 2019, whose family’s advocacy led to the wanding trial that became permanent, statewide law in 2025.
This guide explains where police can use a wand, what happens if a search leads to a charge, how the law is meant to protect young people, and the concerns that have been raised about how it is used.
The story behind Jack’s Law
Jack Beasley was 17 when he was fatally stabbed during a night out with friends in Surfers Paradise in 2019. His parents, Brett and Belinda, began campaigning for stronger knife laws and more proactive police powers to stop young people carrying weapons into nightlife areas.
Their advocacy is described in detail on the Jack Beasley Foundation’s overview of Jack’s Law. The foundation explains how a two-year “wanding” trial in the Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach Safe Night Precincts began in 2021. Police used handheld metal detectors to scan people entering these precincts and seized 266 weapons during the trial period (one every 2 or 3 days).
The trial was later expanded to all 15 Safe Night Precincts across Queensland and to public transport, including stations and vehicles. These measures, and the community support behind them, formed the basis of what became known as Jack’s Law.
What is Jack’s Law in Queensland?
Jack’s Law refers to amendments to the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act that give police specific powers to:
- Use handheld metal detectors to “wand” people for knives and other weapons
- Do so without a warrant in defined “relevant places”
- Seek authorisation from a senior officer to use wands in other public places when needed
The most recent changes are set out in the explanatory notes for the Police Powers and Responsibilities (Making Jack’s Law Permanent) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025.
Where police can use wanding powers
Under Jack’s Law, police may conduct wanding in any location defined as a “relevant place”. These areas were chosen because they consistently show higher rates of weapon possession, youth congregation and incidents that escalate quickly. Understanding each category helps explain how the law functions in day to day environments.
Safe Night Precincts
Safe Night Precincts are designated entertainment districts that attract large crowds, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. These locations have a documented history of knife related assaults, alcohol related fights and group conflicts. However, in Brisbane for example, the Safe Night Precincts essentially make all of the CBD and Fortitude Valley a ‘safe night precinct’.
Licensed premises
Licensed venues such as nightclubs, pubs and bars frequently become hotspots for youth related disturbances. Many patrons entering these venues are between 18 and 25, which overlaps with the age bracket most commonly involved in knife possession incidents.
Shopping centres and retail premises
Shopping centres are recognised gathering points for teenagers, especially after school and during school holidays.
Sporting and entertainment venues
These events involve tight queuing, crowded seating and large volumes of movement, which heighten the risk of hidden weapons being used during disputes.
Public transport stations and vehicles
Transport hubs are among the most common locations for youth weapon related incidents. Busways, train stations and ferry terminals provide predictable movement patterns that make them suitable for targeted wanding operations. Police report that knives used in assaults are often carried on public transport before incidents occur at nearby precincts.
In these places police can use wands without a warrant and, after recent changes, without first seeking separate authorisation from a senior officer.
Outside these locations, police can use wands in other public places if a senior officer authorises it for a defined operation, such as a targeted response to recent knife incidents in a town centre.
What does wanding involve?
Wanding is meant to be a quick, contact-free scan. The device is passed over clothing to detect metal objects. The Jack Beasley Foundation notes that scans typically take one or two minutes and do not involve physical contact.
If the device detects something and an officer reasonably suspects it is a weapon, police can ask the person to produce the item and may carry out a further search if necessary.
How Jack’s Law is meant to protect young people
Jack’s Law is framed by the government as a youth safety measure. It is designed to reduce the number of weapons being carried into spaces where teenagers and young adults gather.
Weapons seized and charges laid
Since the statewide rollout of Jack’s Law, Queensland Police have reported large numbers of scans and weapon seizures. Between 2 April 2023 and 5 June 2025, police conducted about 116,000 scans and seized 1,100 weapons under the law, resulting in more than 3,000 offenders being charged with weapons, drug and other offences. That works out to roughly one weapon detected for every 100 people scanned.
The Jack Beasley Foundation states that, by January 2025, more than 1,234 knives and other dangerous weapons had been taken off the streets under Jack’s Law.
Deterrence as a safety strategy
Supporters of Jack’s Law argue that visibility is part of the safety effect. Knowing that police can and do use wands in nightlife and transport hubs is intended to discourage young people from carrying knives “just in case” or to show off among friends.
In this view, every teenager who decides to leave a knife at home because wanding is likely has already contributed to a safer environment, even if they would never have used the weapon.
Safeguards, rights and concerns
Stronger police powers always attract scrutiny, especially when they allow searches without a warrant or specific suspicion.
Reporting and oversight
The explanatory notes for the Making Jack’s Law Permanent Bill describe a framework that includes:
- Requirements for the Police Commissioner to report annually on how often wanding powers are used, how many people are scanned and how many weapons are detected
- Ongoing use of body-worn cameras by frontline officers
- Defined categories of places where warrantless wanding can occur
Some earlier requirements, such as issuing written notices to people being scanned and publishing detailed online notices for each wanding authority, have been removed to reduce administrative burden.
Human rights and discrimination concerns
Legal and human rights experts have questioned whether Jack’s Law strikes the right balance between safety and civil liberties, particularly for young people from marginalised communities.
The Queensland Human Rights Commission has warned that handheld scanners used without a warrant or reasonable suspicion place substantial limits on rights to privacy, equality and freedom of movement, and recommended further independent review before making the law permanent.
These critiques do not argue against youth safety. They focus on how safety is pursued, and whether heavy reliance on police searches, without complementary measures, might have unintended harms.
Why “self-defence” is not accepted
Some young people carry knives or similar items because they think it makes them safer when they feel at risk. Police, courts and youth advocates consistently warn that carrying a knife increases the chance that an argument or attempted robbery turns into a stabbing. Under Jack’s Law, claiming you had a knife for self-defence will not protect you from being charged with a weapons offence: physically possessing a knife in a public place without a reasonable excuse is an offence under section 51 of the Weapons Act 1990 (Qld), and the section expressly states that self-defence is not a reasonable excuse.
Talking clearly with teenagers about this point is important. The safest option in Queensland’s current legal setting is not to carry a knife at all.
What it means for parents and carers
For parents, guardians and carers, Jack’s Law aims to provide reassurance but signals that more conversations about risk are needed.
Using Jack’s Law as a starting point for conversations
You can use Jack’s Law as a concrete example when you talk with teenagers about:
- Why carrying a knife creates legal and physical danger
- What will happen if police find a weapon during a wanding operation
- How to leave a situation where others are carrying weapons
Pointing to clear rules makes the message specific rather than abstract. For example, instead of saying “never carry a knife, it is dangerous”, you can say “if you carry a knife and police wand you, they will charge you and you will end up in court”.
Planning safer nights out
Parents and young people can also take practical steps that complement what the law is trying to achieve:
- Plan transport so your teenager is not stranded late at night
- Agree on check-in times and locations after large events
- Encourage going out in small, trusted groups rather than following a crowd into poorly lit areas
Jack’s Law may reduce the number of weapons in public spaces, but family rules and planning still play a key role in keeping young people safe.
What it means for venues, schools and local communities
Jack’s Law also affects how venues, schools and community organisations manage safety for young people.
Venues and events
Operators of licensed venues, shopping centres and event spaces in Queensland know that their premises can be designated as relevant places and that police may carry out wanding operations with little notice.
This encourages:
- Clear house policies on weapons and aggressive behaviour
- Staff training on how to cooperate with police operations
- Visible messaging that weapons are not tolerated on the premises
Many youth-focused events now include pre-event communication explaining that police may be present and that weapons are banned, which aligns with Jack’s Law and sets expectations with attendees.
Schools and youth services
While Jack’s Law does not specifically target schools, many students move through public transport hubs and retail precincts covered by the law. Schools and youth services can:
- Explain how wanding works in practical terms
- Clarify that being wanded does not mean a student is in trouble
- Encourage students to report peers who are carrying knives so staff can respond early
This kind of education helps reduce fear and misunderstanding when teenagers see or experience wanding for the first time.
Charged after a wanding search? What happens next
If a wand detects a knife and you don’t have a reasonable excuse, you can be charged with possessing a knife in a public place or a school under section 51 of the Weapons Act 1990 (Qld), regardless of whether the knife was ever produced or used. If the person is under 18, police must first consider whether it would be more appropriate to take no action, give a caution or refer the matter to a restorative justice process before charging them (Youth Justice Act 1992 (Qld) s 11).
What counts as a reasonable excuse?
Section 51(3) recognises a reasonable excuse to physically possess a knife for a lawful activity, duty or employment (work tools, for example), a lawful entertainment, recreation or sport (fishing, a scout uniform), lawfully exhibiting a knife (a collector at a show), or another lawful purpose (cutting food, a pocket knife carried for its normal use). Section 51(5) also allows a reasonable excuse for genuine religious purposes in a public place, such as a Sikh person carrying a kirpan. Section 51(4) expressly rules out self-defence as a reasonable excuse: carrying a knife because you feel unsafe will not protect you from being charged.
What’s the maximum penalty?
As at 3 August 2026, for a first offence the maximum penalty is 50 penalty units (currently $8,635, at $172.70 per unit) or 18 months’ imprisonment. For a second or later offence it rises to 100 penalty units ($17,270) or 2 years’ imprisonment. If the offence is advertised on social media, for example a video or post showing off the knife, the maximum jumps to 100 penalty units or 2 years for a first offence, and 150 penalty units ($25,905) or 30 months for a second or later offence.
Where is a wanding charge heard?
A section 51 charge is generally dealt with summarily in the Magistrates Court under the Justices Act 1886, rather than before a jury (Weapons Act 1990 (Qld) s 161). If the person charged is under 18, the matter is generally dealt with in the Childrens Court under the Youth Justice Act 1992 (Qld) instead.
What actually happens in court depends on the circumstances: whether it’s a first offence, what excuse (if any) was raised, and whether the knife was produced or used. If you or your child has been charged with a weapons offence, or any other charge, after a wanding operation, getting advice early matters, before you say anything further to police. Read about how we defend assault and violence charges, or contact us for confidential advice.
This article is general legal information, not advice about your situation.
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