A Griffith teenager was arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning after he was seen walking along Noorla Street armed with a knife. 

Police were called to the area about 12.40am after receiving reports of a brawl there. 

Nobody was fighting when police arrived but the 16-year-old was seen walking away from the area. 

Police told him to drop the knife but he refused. 

Police drew their tasers in order to avoid a violent confrontation. 

The youth dropped the knife and he was arrested and taken to the Griffith Police Station where he was later issued with a fine for possessing a knife in a public place.

Capsicum spray was also used outside a Griffith hotel in the early hours of Sunday morning to break up a fight between three men. 

Police saw the men fighting on the footpath outside the hotel about 2.45am. 

Attempts to break the fight up were unsuccessful and capsicum spray was deployed to stop the incident escalating. 

The men were arrested and will be issued with criminal infringement notices. 

Griffith Police Inspector Anthony Reneker supported the actions of police who, he said, were justified in using capsicum spray and the police-issued taser to either prevent or quell violent incidents. 

“Police have a number of tactical options available and will utilise these, where appropriate, to ensure the safety of the community is not compromised,” Inspector Reneker said.

Meanwhile, West Wyalong police were forced to use capsicum spray to arrest a 23-year-old West Wyalong man on Friday night. Just before 11pm, police were patrolling Main Street when they saw the man acting in an aggressive manner. 

They stopped and spoke to the man, who became abusive and threatening towards them. 

The man allegedly adopted a fighting stance and police utilised capsicum spray to subdue him and affect his arrest. 

He will appear in West Wyalong Local Court on May 29 to face charges of offensive conduct and resisting police.