Review of NSW Knife Wanding Laws

Overview

What’s this about?

The Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ), in consultation with the NSW Police Force, is conducting a statutory review of the NSW Knife Wanding Laws under Part 4A of the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002 (LEPRA) on behalf of the Attorney General and the Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism.

Part 4A of LEPRA provides a framework that allows police, under certain circumstances, to declare public spaces as 'designated areas' within which police can conduct searches without a warrant using a hand-held scanning device (wand) that can detect the presence of metal. The purpose of the scanning device is to identify knives and other metal weapons concealed on a person. This procedure is more commonly referred to as 'knife wanding'. 

DCJ has prepared a consultation paper that provides an overview of the context of the wanding reforms and the policy objectives and terms of Part 4A of LEPRA.

DCJ is seeking your views on the knife wanding laws as part of the consultation process of the statutory review of Part 4A of LEPRA. 

Have your say

Have your say by Friday 27 March 2026.

You can provide feedback by completing and emailing the DCJ submission form or by emailing a free-form submission.

DCJ may publish submissions that are received. If you do not want your submission or your identity to be published, please indicate this when you send your submission.

Documents