Frightening moment police ‘wanding’ during schoolies uncovers two teens carrying knives on Australia’s party strip
- Two teens and one adult arrested for carrying knives at Gold Coast schoolies
- Police ‘wanding’ on party strip streets led to 32 arrests from November 19 to 25
- During schoolies police ‘wanded’ 918 people in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach
Police have arrested two teens during a crack down on knife crime at the annual schoolies festivities.
A 13-year-old boy was arrested and charged for hiding a knife in his sleeve, while a 16-year-old boy had a knife uncovered in his backpack.
Queensland Police seized seven weapons through the use of metal detection wands in Gold Coast’s Safe Night Precincts during the schoolies’ celebrations.
Since 6am on Friday, November 18, officers ‘wanded’ 918 people in the Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach regions.
The operation led to 32 people being arrested on 42 charges.
Police have arrested two teens as they crack down on knife crime on the Gold Coast as school leavers take to the streets
A 13-year-old boy was arrested and charged for hiding a knife in his sleeve, while a 16-year-old boy had a knife uncovered in his backpack (pictured)
Seven of the charges laid were for weapon offences, with seven bail offences, 18 drug offences and 10 other offences.
On Monday, a 13-year-old Riverview boy was arrested at the Esplanade in Surfers Paradise for allegedly hiding a knife in his sleeve.
The teen was searched around 8pm on November 21 and was charged with one count of possessing a knife in a public place and one count of attempted armed robbery.
He will appear at the Southport Children’s Court at a later date.
A 16-year-old Wurtulla boy was arrested at the same spot around 5pm the following day after police allege they found a knife in his bag.
On the same day around 3pm at Ferny Avenue, Surfers Paradise, a 39-year-old Upper Coomera man was arrested for carrying a box-cutter.
Since 6am on Friday, November 18, officers ‘wanded’ 918 people in the Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach regions. The operation led to 32 people being arrested on 42 charges
Seven of the charges laid were for weapon offences, with seven bail offences, 18 drug offences and ten other offences, including a 39-year-old man who arrested for carrying a box-cutter (pictured)
He was charged with one count of possessing a knife in a public place and is scheduled to appear at the Southport Magistrates Court on December 14.
The Gold Coast has been a popular destination for schoolies celebrations since the 1970s and every year the Safer Schoolies Gold Coast Response is activated to protect partygoers.
The end-of-year 12 celebrations run from November 19 to 25 and always attract additional attention from police.
Wanding was originally trialled in April 2021 after 17-year-old Jack Beasley was fatally stabbed in Surfers Paradise on December 13, 2019, and the tool has been used since by police to crack down on knife crime.
The Gold Coast has been a popular destination for schoolies celebrations since the 1970s and every year the Safer Schoolies Gold Coast Response is activated to protect partygoers. The end-of-year 12 celebrations run from November 19 to 25 and always attract additional attention from police
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