I will be there on Saturday so come over and say hello.

You never know I might just give you a free balloon or sticker or even a fake tattoo.

The show is a place where lots of people congregate to see the sights, check out the displays and go on the rides.

You could say that it is a recipe for fun, however there is a downside to having fun if you are not vigilant.

Please be aware always where your wallet and or purse is.

Don’t leave your stuff in a pile on the ground or on a seat while you go on a ride.

Remember, the security of your valuables is up to you.

If you are going on those rides that spin, there are forces acting on you that you may not realise.

Wikipedia states, “In Newtonian mechanics, the centrifugal force is an inertial force (also called “fictitious” or “pseudo” force) directed away from the axis of rotation that appears to act on all objects when viewed in a rotating frame of reference.

This means that if you have anything loose in your pockets such as mobile phones, change, or even your free police balloon or sticker, centrifugal force may just remove your items and throw them away whilst you are pinned to the side of the ride.

In this case the force is not with you.

Knives have been seized from people in public places recently.

If you are in a public place and you are in possession of a knife either on the street or in a vehicle, you may be committing an offence.

Section 11c of The Summary Offences Act is the relevant section which deals with knife offences.

I’ll break it down into layman’s terms so no-one falls asleep reading this article.

A person cannot have a knife in his/her possession in a public place or a school without a reasonable excuse.

It’s up to you to provide the reasonable excuse.

It is a reasonable excuse for a person to have custody of a knife through the lawful pursuit of your occupation, education or training.

The preparation or consumption of food or drink, participation in a lawful entertainment, recreation or sport, the exhibition of knives for retail or other trade purposes, an organised exhibition by knife collectors, the wearing of official uniform or genuine religious purposes.

Remember, the custody has to be necessary in all circumstances during travel to or from or incidental to an activity as previously described.

You cannot have a knife in your possession in a public place for the sole purpose of self defence or the defence of others.

If police catch you with a knife in a public place and you do not have a reasonable excuse you could be looking at fines up to $2200 and/or two years in prison.

Police have the ability to issue infringement notices which will cost you $550.

See you at the show

As always, in case of an emergency call 000. In non-emergencies call the Policelink on 131 444 or your local police station. To provide anonymous information call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000. For domestic and family violence information, visit www.police.nsw.gov.au. For Shoalhaven Domestic Violence officers call 4421 9666 or 4421 9665  or email shoaldvlo@police.nsw.gov.au.

Don’t forget, cops are tops.