Commissioner Katarina Carroll today launched a new crime prevention campaign aimed at reducing knife carrying and knife-related crime among young people across the state.
As police statistics show knife related offences in public increased by 33 per cent compared to 2016, the campaign, titled I live my life…without a knife, follows a successful trial in Logan in 2019 which saw a sustained 23 per cent decrease in knife-related crime in the district.
Commissioner Carroll said the campaign was focused on prevention, with the aim of influencing the values of young people, educating them on the laws and empowering them to make the right choices.
"As police, we see all too often the devastating consequences of knife related crime in our community. When we analysed the data, we saw that most of the knife crime in the state was related to young people carrying knives," she said.
"Often the excuse provided to police for carrying a knife was to protect themselves. We know that unfortunately much of the time, it's not the case. These knives are frequently used to commit serious crimes, so we are looking to empower people to make the choice of not carrying a knife."
The campaign is supported by Jesse Williams, a Brisbane local and retired First Nations NFL player, who after a successful career in America now uses his story to empower others.
"Growing up in south Brisbane, at school I always had this drive and this passion, and I was lucky enough to turn that into something that no one could have ever imagined – that I could never imagine," Mr Williams said.
"I have a great passion for storytelling and if I can make a difference in community and in young people by telling my story, that's what it's about."
Commissioner Carroll said the campaign would work hand in hand with police enforcement activity across the state to tackle youth knife crime from multiple angles.
"We know that we have to come at these issues from multiple angles, but it's here in the prevention space that we have the opportunity to see real long-term change by influencing values," she said.
"By raising awareness of the rules and showing the impacts of knife related crime, we hope we can empower young Queenslanders to make the right decisions and ultimately stay safe."
For more information on I live my life…without a knife visit https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/knife-crime-prevention
