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knife crime prevention programme inspired by the death of a teenager will visit 28 schools across metropolitan and regional NSW, with the NSW Government providing $37,000 to support the statewide tour.
Brett and Belinda Beasley will take their One Moment programme into schools alongside NSW Police Force Youth Command officers, speaking with students about the consequences of carrying a knife and the impact a single decision can have.
The programme was developed following the death of the couple’s 17-year-old son, Jack, who was fatally stabbed during a night out with friends in Queensland in 2019.
During the school presentations, the Beasleys will share the effect Jack’s death has had on their family and friends. Police youth officers will provide information about knife laws, penalties and the potential consequences of carrying a weapon.
The statewide tour begins today and is being supported through a government grant to the One Moment programme.
The initiative comes alongside changes to NSW knife laws and increased police operations targeting weapons in public places.
Earlier this month, the NSW Government introduced legislation aimed at making police knife-wanding powers permanent. The proposed changes would allow wanding operations to run for up to 24 hours, lower the threshold for declarations and extend the powers to major entertainment venues.
Existing NSW Police powers allow officers to stop and search people where they have reasonable grounds to do so.
NSW Police have seized more than 15,000 knives from public places since April 2023, according to the government.
Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said enforcement needed to be accompanied by efforts to prevent young people from carrying knives in the first place.
“We have backed the Beasley’s important work with funding. NSW Police are standing beside them to educate kids in our schools,” Catley said.
“Strong laws matter. Police enforcement matters. But reaching young people before they ever pick up a knife could save a life.”
The programme combines personal experience with information from police, giving students an opportunity to hear directly about the consequences of knife carrying and the laws that apply.
The government says the school visits are intended to support broader efforts to reduce knife-related offending and encourage young people to think about the potential consequences of carrying a weapon.
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