ARMED police raced to a central Southampton street after a man was allegedly walking around with a samurai sword. 

Firearms officers were called to St Mary Street just after 12.30am on Friday morning after a member of the public reported the man brandishing the weapon. 

Police rushed to the scene as one witness claimed the man had been wielding the sword in East Park "threatening people".

They added that when officers arrived, the sword could be seen on the ground behind the police car before being picked up and put inside. 

READ MORE: Southampton knife crime: Plea after third stabbing in a month

A 24-year-old Southampton man has since been arrested. 

He was detained near Charlotte Place.

A police spokesperson said: "Armed response units were deployed due to the nature of the report, and arrested a 24-year-old Southampton man near Charlotte Place on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

“The man remains in police custody at this time and the sword was seized.”

The incident comes after a string of knife crimes in Southampton with three stabbings having taken place in the city over the last month. 

The force has since said they are in the community "using all the powers at their disposal to get knives off the street". 

But Safer City boss at Southampton City Council, Matt Renyard has blamed cuts in policing for the rise in blades on the city's streets. 

Daily Echo: Cllr Matt Renyard. Cllr Matt Renyard.

He said: "I have concerns around what is now a decade long under funding of both our Police and local government and while our police work hard to keep the public safe, there is a clear need for more officers and PCSOs on our streets.

"Our Neighbourhood Policing and Response Teams are under resourced and are often pulled from other responsibilities and have little time to engage with the community and young people.

"The idea that metropolitan areas with the most need like Southampton might get even less under a Rishi Sunak-led Conservative Government (as seen in recent footage from his campaign) would be truly devastating to our public safety and services."

Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire, Donna Jones hit back though saying it is not the police's fault that there are knives on the streets.

"It's a societal issue and often starts with teenagers connected to drug taking. Parents and education partners are key to preventing this and drumming home the illegality & danger.

"The police are there to intervene when an incident has happened, to remove the weapons and take appropriate action.

"Hampshire Constabulary has an excellent track record of tackling knife crimes and prevents hundreds of injuries and also deaths per year.

"Southampton has seen the biggest increase in police officer numbers as the largest conurbation in the county over the last 2 years."

The commissioner went on to say that the government has introduced tougher sentences for knife crime, something that she outlined as a "top priority". 

"Blaming others is easy, but what the public need for form us is less blame and more joined up working together to find solutions to keep their kids safe. That's my focus." 

Cllr Renyard added that the council is determined for Southampton to be safe and is working with police, the commissioner and its partners to tackle incidents. 

It comes as the city recently received £600,000 Safer Street Funding and launched a consultation on tackling Violence against Women and Girls.

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