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Gold Coast police on the beat at Surfers Paradise.Credit: Photo:Glenn Hunt

Police Minister Mark Ryan said law changes would “allow police to use hand-held metal detection scanners to scan over the exterior of a person’s clothing and belongings to search for the presence of a knife”.

“Police will be able to conduct scanning randomly on anyone who is in a public place in the prescribed area,” he said.

“They won’t need a reasonable suspicion that a person is carrying a knife or doing anything wrong in order to scan them.

“We are all used to these types of procedures such as in airports,some sporting events and even when we enter courts and government buildings.

“We are regularly subjected to metal detecting and the X-raying of our possessions to ensure the safety of the greater community.”

Once the trial wrapped up,an independent review would determine whether wands should be rolled out to other nightlife precincts,such as Fortitude Valley.

Mr Ryan said there had been a spike in knife possession in the past two years and a “general increase in knife-related crime statewide”.

“The Queensland Police Service advise youths as young as 10 years old who come to police attention found in possession of a knife and this behaviour peaks in the 15- and 16-year-old age bracket,” he said.

“Enabling police to quickly identify and seize these knives not only prevents them being used to cause harm,but it also creates a strong disincentive for people carrying them in the first place.”

The changes were introduced as part of a suite of controversial reforms,aimed at cracking down on repeat teenage offenders,after thedeaths of a Queensland couple and their unborn child last month.

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