Police sniffer dog finds huge machete dumped in Endcliffe Park after Sheffield fight

A 16-year-old boy was seen wielding the weapon and swiping it towards people during the incident on Rustlings Road at around 7.45pm on Friday, 24 July. A video of the fight was widely shared on social media.

He was detained after a police chase and arrested on suspicion of affray and possessing an offensive weapon. The teenager has since been released under investigation.

The weapon was dumped alongside a crossbody bag and outer clothing, police said.

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police’s Dog Support Unit said: “So the ne'er-do-well who thinks it’s OK to maraud up and down Ecclesall Road with a machete thought he could outsmart the '5-0' by ditching his weapon, his 'manbag' and his outer clothing, so when he was arrested he probably thought 'you aint got nuthin on me!'

“Unfortunately none of our dog units were nearby at the time so the pleasure of arresting him went to some two-legged, less furry colleagues (shame!)

“But..... our boy PD Bill, with handler Tez, went to investigate a couple of hours later and tracked the route taken by the less-than-average-intellect offender. Bill's nose sniffing out the discarded jumper and manbag along the way, AND, locating the machete sheath stashed in some woodland. Hopefully the tried and tested formula will apply in this case...

“Video footage + DNA + fingerprints + weapon = conviction.”