Police have charged six people and seized five knives during a high-visibility operation in the Dubbo CBD area yesterday.
Operation Ares is a high-visibility operation in which officers use handheld scanners – electronic metal-detecting 'wands' – to reduce knife crime and boost community safety.
Between 9am and 9pm yesterday (Thursday 18 December 2025), officers attached to Orana Mid Western Police District carried out a knife-scanning operation in the Dubbo CBD, focusing on several key shopping centres in the city.
During the operation,
- 105 people were stopped and scanned,
- Eight person searches were conducted,
- Three drug detections were made,
- Five knives were detected and seized, and
- Six people were arrested and charged for offences including drug and knife possession.
Incidents of note,
- About 2.20pm yesterday (Thursday 18 December 2025), police stopped and spoke to a man near the intersection of Church and Brisbane Streets, Dubbo. The 54-year-old man was subjected to a search where officers located and seized methylamphetamine, cannabis and a knife. The man was later served with a field court attendance notice for two counts of possessing prohibited drugs, and custody of a knife. He will appear at Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday 28 January 2026.
Operation Ares continues to run in designated locations across NSW.
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