Man 'waving sword around' sees police swarm Leeds neighbourhood

Dogs used to chase down suspect, officers say

A dog team was deployed by WYP (File photo) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A man has been arrested in Leeds after police received reports of someone “waving a sword around”.

West Yorkshire Police (WYP) said officers including a dog handler sped to the Armley area.

It added in a tweet: “Man with sword proves not to be as fast as dog, now in custody.”

A WYP spokesperson said: “At around 11.15pm yesterday a report was received of a male in possession of a sword in the Armley area of Leeds.

“Officers attended and a 23-year-old man on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. He has been released on bail.”

The arrest was made by officers from WYP’s Operation Jemlock team, which was set up last spring to fight violence and knife-based crime using extra government money.

The team has made 2,500 arrests since its inception, WYP said in a press release that did not detail the number of successful prosecutions it had achieved.

Some 158 weapons had been taken off the streets in the past year, the statement added.