More than 100 people have been spoken to by police and one vehicle has been seized in the latest crackdown on concealed weapons on the streets of Geelong.
Tuesday’s blitz was the second in five weeks targeting Corio Village Shopping Centre, and the fourth in Geelong in two months.
Senior Sergeant David Reynolds from Geelong Police said Omni focused largely on the growing scourge of knives.
“The operation primarily targeted people carrying edged weapons in a public place, ” Sergeant Reynolds told Geelong Broadcasters.
“It was one of many being conducted in the Geelong region in areas of large crowd densities.”
Two knives were taken from members of the public during Tuesday’s blitz.
Sergeant Reynolds said police made no apologies for the frequency of local weapons crackdowns.
“The Omni operations enable police to declare a designated area to detect weapons to protect the community,” he said.
“These are intelligence-led operations around areas where previous incidents may have occurred.
“We understand the concerns felt in the community when offending folds onto the street. Operation Omni is also aimed at deterring people who think that carrying a weapon in public is acceptable.”
