Machete among Perth police seizures after fight at Perth Cultural Centre

A MACHETE with a 50cm blade on a 2m rope allegedly carried by a Hamilton Hill boy (17) is among about 20 bladed weapons seized by police in central Perth since the start of the year.

The machete was allegedly stuffed down the trousers of the boy when he was caught by officers in Beaufort Street, Northbridge about 1am on April 1.

Just earlier, a group of “fighting” youths had been reported in the nearby Perth Cultural Centre.

“They were fighting, and police were required to attend, before running after the boy with the machete,” Senior Sergeant Angela Tipping said.

Sgt Tipping said there had been fights by group members in the Murray and Hay streets’ malls earlier that night.

However, police caught up with the group at the Cultural Centre, where a Nollamara boy (16) in the group allegedly had a knife.

He and the 17-year-old have been charged with possession of a weapon to cause fear, and both will appear at the Perth Magistrates Court at a later date.

“The kids may be doing silly things like carrying a weapon, but we are now looking for them, and picking them up, and they are being charged with more serious offences,” Sergeant Warren Ameduri said.

Police said they did not know if last weekend’s fight was related to youth gangs, or if it followed on from the alleged murder by an 11-year-old boy of Patrick Slater (26) at Perth Bus Port last year.

Since January, weapons from other incidents in the CBD taken by police have included at least six pairs of scissors, multiple flick and kitchen knives, carton cutters and batons.

Officers also found a set of knuckledusters in Supreme Court Gardens.

A man (24) is being investigated for allegedly carrying a card knife that slides a blade into a credit card-sized cover when he entered the Federal Court in the Perth CBD on March 30.

It is also alleged a Midvale man (22) threatened a security guard with a Leatherman-type knife art a Murray Street nightclub on April 1.