Liberal MLA Deborah Morris introduced a motion calling on the ACT Government to provide ACT Policing with the powers and tools to conduct knife-detection searches with metal detection wands.
While Thomas spoke in support of using metal-detection wands in place of invasive searches, he expressed concerns about the motion’s calls to expand policing powers to search people without reasonable suspicion and the implications of this on our community’s civil liberties.
Thomas cited a Griffith University review that found 12 months after similar searching laws were introduced in Queensland, there had been no evidence to suggest a significant impact on weapons offences. The review also found that wanding had been used inconsistently across different groups and that there was evidence of inappropriate use of stereotypes and cultural assumptions by some police officers.
This motion was voted down by Labor, the Greens, independent MLA Fiona Carrick and Thomas.