Liberal MLA Peter Cain brought a motion to the Assembly on knife crime in the ACT, proposing to legislate the power for police to use a metal detector wand to search anyone for a weapon, in designated public spaces, without reasonable suspicion.

Similar legislation, called ‘Jack’s Law’, was recently introduced in Queensland. However, a review of this legislation by the Griffith University Criminology Institute found the measures to be ineffective at reducing knife crime. Only 1 in 100 searches revealed a knife, and First Nations people, young people, and other vulnerable cohorts were found to have been disproportionately targeted in searches. 

Thomas believes it is everyone’s right to feel safe in Canberra, and policing is a big part of that. However, rushing through legislation that does not address the cause of this issue, and which has questionable effectiveness, is not the solution. He doesn’t want the ACT to become a surveillance state where anyone can be searched by police without reasonable suspicion. His view is that Mr Cain’s proposed legislation disregards the fundamental principles of natural justice, which we are all entitled to, and which underpin the ACT’s Human Rights Act 2004. 

For this reason, Thomas successfully moved an amendment to require the Government to respond to this issue with “evidence-based wraparound programs to address the underlying causes of knife crime and other violence crime, such as poor mental health, poverty and substance use.” The Assembly ultimately agreed to call on the ACT Government to consider the evidence base and report back on next steps, rather than committing to introducing Jack’s Law in the ACT.