A year after WA Police were given powers to search for weapons, how effective has it been?

Looking at a haul of some of the seized weapons at Perth Police Station – Acting Senior Sergeant Dave Ball from WA Police said “it beggars belief that we have a party precinct and we’ve got people coming into this area armed with stuff like this”.

Whitby said while the haul of weapons is confronting, people in Perth have a reason to feel safe, with only a small number of patrons carrying around edged weapons.

“102,000 scans have occurred, 228 weapons seized,” he said.

“The vast majority of people we see in the city are not armed, are not carrying weapons.”

1,926 charges were dished out across WA as a result of the searches – most of those for possessing a weapon or drugs.

Acting Senior Sergeant Dave Ball says the scans have been successful on the beat.

“The public have been extremely receptive and we pretty much have no issues at all,” he said.

In the last year, only 14 people have been charged with failing to comply with the scans.

And with the party season in full swing – Police warn patrols will be ramped up to ensure everyone can celebrate safely.

“It promotes community safety – we want individuals that are legitimately coming out to the party precinct to feel safe,” Ball said.

With 9 News Perth.