A 14-year-old boy has been charged with using a knife in public place at East Maitland during a statewide police crackdown on weapons.
Police allege a fight broke out on a bus at the intersection of Mitchell Drive and Stronach Avenue on Friday afternoon involving a 14-year-old boy and a number of other males.
Officers were told the boy allegedly pulled out a knife during the incident, before the group left the bus.
The 14-year-old was arrested soon after in a nearby car park. He was taken to Maitland Police Station and charged with use knife in public place - cause person to fear for safety.
He was given conditional bail to appear before a children's court on October 17.
The charge comes as part of a major police operation from September 26-28, involving officers from every police area in NSW - assisted by specialist officers from Youth Command, Police Transport and Public Safety Command, and Traffic and Highway Patrol Command.
During the high-visibility Operation Foil, police seized 45 knives, 12 firearms and seven other prohibited weapons, and laid 355 charges.
In addition, 42 people were arrested over outstanding warrants and police recorded 155 drug detections, 295 traffic infringement notices and 230 transport infringement notices.
Police also performed 1200 random breath tests and more than 555 bail compliance checks.
North West Metropolitan Region operations manager, Detective Acting Superintendent Guy Magee, said Operation Foil was designed to remove weapons from the streets.
"Knife crime continues to be an issue across the state and, operations such as these, are about keeping the community safe," Acting Supt Magee said.
"It is concerning that we still have a small portion of the community who choose to carry knives."
Police ran Operation Pivot in conjunction with Operation Foil, from September 23-25 which involved officers visiting 77 schools and speaking with 6655 students.
Police also conducted 105 high-visibility patrols of schools and known youth crime hot spots, along with 215 home visits.
