The 33-year-old man was charged following an assault on Thursday, June 16.

During a subsequent search, police seized four knives.

The man was charged with common assault and custody of a knife in a public place.

He is due to appear before Kempsey Local Court on Monday, June 27.

Across the state police have seized more than 110 knives, 21 firearms and charged 232 people as part of the operation.

Operation Foil II took place from Tuesday, June 14 to Saturday, June 18, to reduce the number of young people carrying knives in public, and prevent violent incidents that cause significant harm.

The statewide operation involved a two-stage approach that included highly-visible police patrols in high-risk locations, as well as Youth Command Officers visiting high schools to warn them about the risks of carrying weapons.

The operation follows an increase in the number of young people becoming both perpetrators and victims of knife-related offences in in the past five years.

Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the force was committed to reducing violent incidents involving knives which most often involved robberies and assaults.

"Our intelligence shows that some young people are increasingly carrying sharp instruments for self-defence, but they don't fully understand the potentially fatal consequences that this can have," Commissioner Webb said.

"When someone has a dangerous weapon in their possession, there is a much greater likelihood of a small-scale incident escalating into a fatal one.

"We're trying to urge young people to think about the potential consequences of their actions, as one wrong decision can dramatically change your life."

In March this year, police across the state took part in the same operation which resulted in 85 knives, eight firearms and 420 charges being laid.

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