Teenage boy caught with machete after being chased through St George's Shopping Centre in Preston

Uniformed and plain-clothes officers patrolled the city to "target a range of issues" on Tuesday (January 30).

This included several stop searches as well as dealing with a number of shoplifters.

One young man "who is known to police" was spotted by officers in St George's Shopping Centre.

He fled after spotting the police, running through Matalan and out of the building onto Lune Street.

He was later located and searched after running back into the shopping centre.

A large machete was also found hidden round the corner of the building following the chase.

The suspect had originally been carrying it in his waistband, police said.

A 16-year-old boy was subsequently arrested and later charged for possessing a bladed article in a public place.

He was bailed to attend Preston Magistrates Youth Court.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "There is no place for knife crime in Preston and such behaviour will not be tolerated.

"Preston Task Force will continue to tackle the issue and serve justice to those responsible for such crimes."

If you believe someone you know carries a knife, call 101 or report it online at doitonline.lancashire.police.uk.

Independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

Always call 999 in an emergency.