Arabic version: شرطة جنوب أستراليا تضبط 80 سلاحاً في مراكز التسوق

According to ABC News, South Australia Police have seized at least 80 weapons in shopping centres during the past year after receiving expanded powers to search people in declared shopping precincts. Officers conducted 10,000 metal-detector wand searches across 18 centres, with weapons found in just under 1 per cent of searches.

The laws allow police to stop and search anyone inside a declared shopping precinct and direct them to leave for 24 hours. Attorney-General Kyam Maher, speaking at Burnside Village, said the result showed that “by and large South Australians are doing the right thing”, while cautioning against complacency over knife crime.

Acting Assistant Police Commissioner David O’Donovan said he was not aware of pushback from shoppers over wand searches. He said police would continue using the legislation while it remained available, describing the powers as a way to make public places safer. He also said there had been incidents involving children possessing weapons, though SA Police could not provide specific figures.

Acting SA Guardian for Children and Young People Sue Macdonald said the figures did not show enough about the extent or nature of the issue, including whether weapons were carried by adults or children and young people. She called for a more transparent discussion of the data and said expanded policing powers were not a long-term solution to youth offending or violence.

Burnside Village butcher George Schofield supported the searches, saying the extra police presence provided confidence. Shopper Claire Langsford questioned whether patrols were the best use of public resources, suggesting shopping-centre owners could invest more in protecting staff. Carrying an offensive weapon in public can carry a maximum penalty of six months in jail or a $2,500 fine, while possessing a prohibited weapon can bring two years’ imprisonment or a $20,000 fine.