A man accused of threatening Melbourne’s Maribyrnong Mayor Mohamed Semra with a hunting knife was reportedly back in Footscray just hours after being detained by police, fuelling renewed concerns about community safety and police resources across the city’s western suburbs.

The incident unfolded on Wednesday in Footscray Mall, where Cr Semra was walking with former mayor Pradeep Tiwari and Maribyrnong City Council chief executive Celia Haddock on their way to meet fellow western suburbs mayors to advocate for a stronger police presence.

According to Cr Semra, the group came across a man allegedly assaulting a council cleaner before the situation escalated.

“He brandished a knife and obviously it was a very frightening situation for all those involved,” the mayor said after the confrontation.

Council staff contacted police, who attended the scene shortly afterwards.

Victoria Police confirmed officers located the man carrying a knife.

“Uniform police attended and spoke with the male, who was in possession of a knife,” a police spokesperson said.

“He was moved on from the area and issued an infringement notice for possess a controlled weapon.”

No charges relating to assault or threatening behaviour were announced by police at the time of the statement.

However, local traders later reported seeing the same man back in the Footscray Mall precinct roughly two hours later, prompting fresh criticism from business owners and residents already concerned about crime in the area.

The confrontation occurred as Cr Semra and several western Melbourne mayors prepared to publicly call for additional frontline policing, arguing that residents and traders have become increasingly anxious following several high-profile violent incidents.

“A police station without enough police is like a fire station without firefighters,” Cr Semra said.

“The building alone does not keep people safe — presence matters.”

He added that residents wanted to look forward to their future rather than constantly worrying about their safety.

The knife incident was not an isolated event.

Cr Semra said he believed the same individual had also been involved in a violent altercation just days earlier in the same shopping precinct.

That earlier confrontation allegedly left local deli owner Richard Le with a broken hand after he intervened to protect members of the public during a fight.

Mr Le said he saw an elderly man on the ground while a distressed young woman attempted to help him.

Concerned that a chair was about to be thrown toward them, he stepped in.

Instead, he became the target.

He alleged one of the men threw the chair before another struck him with a wooden plank containing a protruding nail, fracturing his hand.

The attack was reportedly captured on video and has become another example cited by local leaders calling for increased police visibility throughout Melbourne’s west.

While community frustration has intensified, some local advocates argue enforcement alone will not resolve the underlying issues.

African community activist Dr Berham Ahmed said repeated arrests without addressing deeper social and mental health problems were unlikely to produce lasting change.

“Police are taking these guys and putting them in prison for one week, one month, whatever, they come back, so these people need help,” he said.

The differing responses illustrate an increasingly familiar debate confronting governments across Australia.

Business owners and residents often call for stronger policing and faster consequences for repeat offenders, while community organisations argue that untreated mental illness, homelessness, addiction and social disadvantage also require sustained investment if long-term crime reductions are to be achieved.

For traders in Footscray’s central business district, however, the immediate concern remains personal safety.

Several recent incidents have contributed to growing unease among retailers operating in the busy shopping precinct.

Western suburbs mayors say the knife incident involving Cr Semra has become another example of why additional police resources are needed.

The joint call from Maribyrnong, Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Wyndham and Melton councils came amid concerns about increasing violent crime and declining police numbers across parts of Melbourne’s west.

Brimbank Mayor Virginia Tachos argued recent increases in police visibility following serious incidents had been largely reactive rather than sustained.

She pointed to official figures showing crime in Brimbank had risen while police staffing levels had declined, saying communities wanted permanent solutions rather than temporary responses following headline-grabbing incidents.

Victoria Police maintains that operational changes are intended to maximise officers’ visibility within the community.

Acting Commander Troy Papworth said the force had shifted its focus towards placing more officers on patrol instead of staffing public counters for extended periods.

He said greater street patrols allowed officers to prevent crime, respond more quickly to emergencies and arrest offenders sooner when incidents occurred.

The confrontation involving Cr Semra has attracted particular attention because the mayor has become a prominent public figure since taking office.

Earlier this year he became Australia’s first Sudanese-born mayor and has spoken publicly about representing the diverse communities that make up Melbourne’s inner west.

Footscray itself is one of Victoria’s most multicultural suburbs and has undergone significant redevelopment over the past decade while continuing to experience challenges associated with homelessness, substance abuse and public disorder in parts of its commercial centre.

Maribyrnong City Council has previously trialled various community safety initiatives, including increased council presence and partnership programs aimed at improving public amenity, while continuing to advocate for greater state government support and policing resources.

The latest incident is likely to intensify scrutiny of how authorities respond when people are found carrying prohibited weapons in public places and whether existing penalties provide sufficient protection for the community.

As police continue investigating the various incidents linked to Footscray Mall, local leaders say restoring public confidence will require both immediate improvements to visible policing and longer-term strategies addressing the complex causes of repeat offending.