Threat of knife crime at Dubbo Show prompts NSW Government to action

Reports of knife threats at the Dubbo Show held at the city's showground in NSW's central west from 10th – 12th May, has prompted the NSW Government to consider giving police the right to scan people for weapons in public and crowded places.

The threat of violence at the Dubbo Show was disseminated via a disturbing 'stabbing list' circulated on social media.

An anonymous list of children's names, some reportedly as young as eight, was shared with the warning that they would be stabbed if they attended.

Two boys aged 11 and 12 who allegedly created the stab list for the Dubbo Show claim it was a joke gone wrong. The pair handed themselves into police.

A NSW Police spokesman advised “They will be dealt with under the Young Offenders Act.”

The list prompted police to increase patrols at the showground, in addition to a 'high-visibility operation' designed to keep the community safe amid a recent surge in youth crime.

Following the recent spate of stabbing incidents in NSW – including the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing rampage in April -  Premier Chris Minns recently announced giving NSW Police the right to tackle knife crime with their legal powers extended to scanning people for weapons in public and crowded places without a warrant.

Premier Minns advised the new legislation is modelled on Queensland's Jack's Law which brought in after the stabbing death of teen Jack Beasley in 2019.

It allows police officers in Queensland to use a metal detecting wand in operations in city centre locations, at public transit hubs and on public transport.

A similar scheme will be brought in for NSW which will give police powers to 'wand' or 'scan' people for knives without a warrant in designated areas, including transport hubs, shopping centres and other crowded places.