Community shock as 18-inch machete seized by police patrolling Bramley Shopping Centre

Ongoing work to tackle an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour involving youths in the Bramley area have seen recent success according to West Yorkshire Police's Leeds West team.

Officers from the Leeds West Neighbourhood Policing Team have used dispersal orders and increased their proactive patrols around Bramley Shopping Centre following a number incidents over the Christmas period.

On Monday, officers on patrol arrested two youths on suspicion of possession of a bladed article, affray, public order and criminal damage offences.

A machete with an 18-inch blade was seized, police confirmed.

Inspector Phil Gill, who heads the Leeds West NPT, said: “We recognise the concern that these recent incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour involving young people have been causing in the community and we have increased our activity in the area to address that.

“Behaviour such as this cannot be tolerated and we will continue proactively targeting the area to disrupt and deter those involved in such incidents and take positive against them alongside our partner agencies, as we have on this occasion.”

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