Dagger, hunting knife seized in shopping centre blitz
Hunting knives, knuckledusters and hammers have been seized from crowded shopping malls as police take a zero-tolerance approach to antisocial behaviour.
More than 100 people were arrested in the first three weeks of the operation targeting shopping malls in Melbourne, police said.
Those arrested include a teenager carrying a hunting knife, two men fighting with a hammer and two men who stole $800 worth of clothing.
At least 30 guns were seized at Northland, Highpoint, Eastland and Fountain Gate shopping centres.
“Shopping centers should be a safe place for families, friends and young people to come together,” Victoria Police Acting Commander Matthew Baynes told reporters on Tuesday.
“This is not a place for bad behaviour, aggression, violence and it is certainly not a place for people to bring sharp weapons or knives.”
The 90-day operation began on December 8 and police have already responded to 600 calls for help from the public, retailers and center management.
Shopper Ashnika Raj was relieved to see police presence at Highpoint Shopping Center in Melbourne’s west.
Recent shopping center brawls, as well as past attacks in Bondi, have also alarmed him.
“It’s a good thing we have so much security,” he told AAP.
“When I’m (at the center) and I hear an unusually loud sound, I get weird and look to see where the sound is coming from.”
The operation followed a series of incidents in shopping malls in the city.
An armed gang fight at Northland Mall led to machete reform in May, followed by another incident in June in which a car drove through the centre, narrowly missing shoppers.
A total of 217 crimes have been detected since the operation began in early December, with officers confiscating a baton, a number of knuckledusters, a dagger and three knives in a single day.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly hiding a hunting knife in his waistband, a parent was summoned and a warning was issued.
Meanwhile, a 20-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man were arrested and charged for allegedly stealing $800 worth of street clothing.
The police operation continues during the summer period.
