Plea for talks on knives

Man fatally stabbed in neck

SHAYLA BULLOCH, ANDREAS NICOLA, JACK MCKAY, TOBY CROCKFORD, JAMES HALL AND VANESSA MARSH

A FRUSTRATED top cop has urged parents to have tough conversations with their children about the dangers of carrying knives, following the fatal stabbing of a 20-year-old man south of Brisbane.

Aiden Rhys Bower-Miles was allegedly stabbed in the neck by two teenagers and died during an altercation at Underwood, south of Brisbane, about 1am on Friday.

“It’s got to stop,” South Eastern Regional Crime Coordinator Detective Superintendent Brendan Smith said of carrying knives.

“How many families need to be wrecked because of behaviours of a few?”

Det Supt Smith said in the past financial year there had been 11 knife-related murders in Queensland.

He said there had been a 21 per cent increase in the number of people aged 10 to 21 with action taken against them for carrying knives and more than 3000 charges laid for offences of carrying a knife in public.

Det Supt Smith said a message needed to be sent that carrying a knife was “unacceptable and unlawful”.

“They think it’s cool, it’s not cool,” he said. “It’s not going to be cool sitting in jail, or if one of your friends is murdered because you think it’s cool to carry a knife.”

He said just like conversations about drink driving or sex education, parents needed to have the tough talks with their kids about carrying knives.

“We need to do something about it,” he said.

“We need to have that conversation.”

He said if parents were struggling to address the issue with their kids, there were a number of agencies that could help.

“That conversation could save their lives, it could save the lives of their friends and could prevent them going to jail,” Det Supt Smith said.

“This is not just a policing problem, this is a community problem.

“How many families need to suffer the consequences …

“Let’s make it uncool to carry a knife.”

Det Supt Smith said many kids were under the impression they needed to carry a knife for protection.

He said he believed social media and video gaming had played a role.

Asked about a push to make it more difficult for kids to purchase knives, Det Supt Smith said he was open to anything that could prevent more deaths.

“I think that sort of policy is a matter for government to consider but as you pointed out knives are everywhere,” he said. “You walk into everyone’s house, there’s kitchen knives.”

His comments came after two boys aged 15 and 16 were accused of randomly stabbing Mr Bower-Miles to death.