‘Former chef’: Man allegedly caught carrying seven knives during Qld crackdown offers up bizarre excuse

A man has offered up a bizarre excuse after he was allegedly caught with seven knives during a crackdown across Queensland. Police conducted high-visibility patrols and wanding operations across the Safe Night Precinct, train station and local shopping centre in Ipswich in a crackdown on knife crime on October 2. Officers charged 10 people with 14 offences after scanning more than 70 people, including a 20-year-old man who was allegedly found with seven knives and drug utensils at Ipswich train station. The man then claimed he was a former chef, which is why he had the items. However the knives didn’t match the description. The 20-year-old was charged with possessing a knife in a public place and is expected to front the Ipswich Magistrates Court on October 30. Acting Inspector Lee Fortune said the incident highlights the importance of wanding operations. “This operation saw our first wanding operation in a shopping centre, and the feedback we received from locals was overwhelmingly positive,” Inspector Fortune said. “The location of seven knives along with 10 arrests indicates just how impactful these proactive efforts can be in seizing weapons and disrupting potentially violent offences before they occur.” The crackdown follows the implementation of Jack’s Law across the state, which allows police to use metal detectors to identify and seize weapons in busy thoroughfares after the death of teenager Jack Beasley in December 2019. The 17-year-old died after suffering fatal stab wounds after he was set upon by a group in Surfers Paradise, on the Gold Coast. About 57 weapons have been seized since the law came into effect in April 2023, with 135 wanding operations. Inspector Fortune thanked the community and local businesses “for their ongoing support”, and said he looks forward to “continuing these efforts to create safer public spaces for Ipswich”.