By LAURA WAKELY
BRIMBANK is the weapons capital of the West with an offence recorded almost every day across the police service area.
Figures provided exclusively to Star reveal there were 328 weapons related offences recorded in Brimbank in the last financial year.
The number is almost double that of Maribyrnong, which was the second-highest area for weapons offences in the West with 192 offences.
Werribee came in third with 170, Melton had 136 and Hobson’s Bay recorded 116.
Police laid 106 charges of possessing a controlled weapon without excuse in Brimbank, which relates to weapons that can be used for legitimate purposes but pose a possible threat to the community.
They include knives, cattle prods, spear-guns, batons and bayonets.
There were 74 charges for possessing a prohibited weapon, which include whips, throwing stars, swords, butterfly knives, blow darts, catapults, imitation firearms, laser pointers and slingshots.
People need permission from the Chief Commissioner or the Governor of Victoria to own prohibited weapons.
There were also 21 charges of carrying dangerous articles in a public place, which can relate to household items, sporting equipment and everyday tools such as screwdrivers or cricket bats.
There were 16 charges apiece for possessing ammo without a licence and possessing an unregistered handgun, as well as two charges of possessing fireworks and one charge of possessing an explosive substance without excuse.
Brimbank Inspector Mick Grainger said he was concerned about illegal weapons, which he said was a state-wide issue.
“I’m certainly concerned by the number of people we detect where people resort to the use of a weapon,” Insp Grainger said.
He said police carried out random searches around busy areas such as train stations in order to detect and confiscate illegal weapons, averaging up to 25 illegal weapons charges each month.
He said it was usually young people who were carrying illegal weapons.
“They see it as a means of defending themselves,” Insp Grainger said.
“But my advice is that you can very rapidly turn from a person using a weapon in defensive purposes to offensive purposes and you’d most likely find yourself in coroner’s court.”
He suggested “flight over fight” and said it was up to schools, parents, guardians and police to educate young people about the consequences of resorting to violence.
