<p>The police will use the Gatescan-P metal detector to search commuters at the North Melbourne railway station between 5 pm. and 9 pm. today, according to AAP report.<br /><br />It was said that commuters will be randomly picked up to walk through the metal detector and if shown to be carrying metal will be searched with a hand-held scanner.<br /><br />Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe said the railway station had been chosen for Operation Omni II because intelligence had identified it as a "high knife" area.<br /><br />"Our intelligence tells us that the timing that we've set for tonight's operation is appropriate in accordance with what we understand and believe is the activity that occurs around this railway station," he said.<br /><br />"We've just looked at our intelligence, we've looked at the level of activity and we've determined this is the next railway station we'll target," he said. <br /><br />Walshe said the presence and use of knives in robberies had increased by about nine per cent in the last year, with people as young as 10 found carrying weapons.<br />Under new laws police can conduct planned and unplanned weapons searches.<br /><br />A planned search, such as those at railway stations, must be advertised seven days in advance, while the unplanned searches enable police to search people during an incident.<br /><br />Police Minister Bob Cameron said the government did not want to see a knife culture in Victoria.<br /><br />"We've seen knife attacks go down over the years but what concerned us last year was despite a decrease in robberies actually more knives were being used with robberies," Cameron said.<br /><br />"So that's why we've introduced these laws, they're tough, we've been criticised for it, but we believe that people have no reason to fear if they're not carrying a knife" he said.</p>
<p>The police will use the Gatescan-P metal detector to search commuters at the North Melbourne railway station between 5 pm. and 9 pm. today, according to AAP report.<br /><br />It was said that commuters will be randomly picked up to walk through the metal detector and if shown to be carrying metal will be searched with a hand-held scanner.<br /><br />Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe said the railway station had been chosen for Operation Omni II because intelligence had identified it as a "high knife" area.<br /><br />"Our intelligence tells us that the timing that we've set for tonight's operation is appropriate in accordance with what we understand and believe is the activity that occurs around this railway station," he said.<br /><br />"We've just looked at our intelligence, we've looked at the level of activity and we've determined this is the next railway station we'll target," he said. <br /><br />Walshe said the presence and use of knives in robberies had increased by about nine per cent in the last year, with people as young as 10 found carrying weapons.<br />Under new laws police can conduct planned and unplanned weapons searches.<br /><br />A planned search, such as those at railway stations, must be advertised seven days in advance, while the unplanned searches enable police to search people during an incident.<br /><br />Police Minister Bob Cameron said the government did not want to see a knife culture in Victoria.<br /><br />"We've seen knife attacks go down over the years but what concerned us last year was despite a decrease in robberies actually more knives were being used with robberies," Cameron said.<br /><br />"So that's why we've introduced these laws, they're tough, we've been criticised for it, but we believe that people have no reason to fear if they're not carrying a knife" he said.</p>