MELBOURNE, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- More than 100 people have been arrested and 30 weapons seized in the first weeks of a crackdown on crime at shopping centers across Melbourne, police said on Tuesday.
According to data published by the police force in the Australian state of Victoria on Tuesday, 109 people have been arrested since the safety operation at four major Melbourne shopping centers commenced on Dec. 8.
The arrests included a 15-year-old boy who was found in possession of a hunting knife and two men, aged 24 and 25, who assaulted each other with a stolen hammer.
Victoria Police said that 30 weapons have been seized at the four centers under the operation, including a baton, a set of knuckle dusters, a dagger and three knives that were seized at one of the centers in a single day.
The safety crackdown was established following a series of violent incidents at Melbourne shopping centers, including a brawl between armed members of rival youth gangs in May that prompted the state government to fast-track a ban on the sale of machetes.
Bob Hill, Victoria Police's deputy commissioner of regional operations, said that a strong police and protective service officer presence at shopping centers will continue through the summer.
"As a police force, we simply will not stand for those who bring violence, aggression and weapons to places we should all feel safe," he said.
There have been 217 criminal offenses recorded under the Victoria Police operation, 75 of which were related to theft and shoplifting.
The latest data from Victoria's Crime Statistics Agency showed there were 41,789 reported incidents of retail theft in the state in the 12 months to September, up from 36,181 in the preceding 12 months. Enditem
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