The WA police minister says young people need to be more "meaningfully engaged" with work and education after a violent brawl broke out at a Secret Harbour shopping centre on Tuesday.
Three people were treated at Peel Health Campus after the incident, which involved about 30 juveniles and school children at Secret Harbour Square.
Police Minister Michelle Roberts said police could only do so much.
They need to be in training, or doing an apprenticeship, or something worthwhile with their lives.
- Police Minister Michelle Roberts
"Police will always turn out to effectively restore the peace, but the real underlying issue that needs to be dealt with is the cause of this and making sure that youth are meaningfully engaged and not hanging out and creating trouble," she said.
"They need to be in training, or doing an apprenticeship, or something worthwhile with their lives rather than hanging out and creating violence and disrupting the whole community."
Ms Roberts said the state government had committed more resources to the WA Police Force, "particularly in Mandurah", as a result of the district restructure announced in April 2018.
"Local police are also backed up by the Southern Regional Operations Group," she said.
Carla Hildebrandt
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
