Children and teenagers say they are 'too scared to go shopping' after witnessing a graphic police training session at a popular Westfield shopping centre.
Victoria Police conducted critical incident response training on level three at Westfield Southland on Wednesday night, which included the use of 'loud weapons'.
While police advised Westfield to put up signs so customers would know it's a training exercise and no live ammunition was used, many upset parents have complained their children were left 'terrified'.
Videos posted on social media show people running down escalators as shots are fired in the background.
Another photo shows a police officer pointing a gun in front of a Bed Bath N Table store.
Speaking to the Herald Sun, Tash Lee said her daughter, 19, is now too scared to shop at Southland Westfield.
'I understand they have to train but when the general public is around, they need to be warned or better yet, wait until everyone has gone,' she said.
'We now have teens afraid to go hang out at the centre. It's what they do during the holidays and now they are terrified.'
Children and teenagers say they are 'too scared to go shopping' after witnessing a graphic police critical incident training session at a popular Melbourne shopping centre
She added that Ms Lee said her friends have banned their children from visiting the centre.
Other local parents took to social media to complain about the session branding it 'chaos' and 'absolute stupidity'.
'I'm not sure how Victoria Police or Southland management think that it's OK to run this with anyone in the centre,' one person wrote.
'It's caused a great amount of distress and panic in the teens who have seen the footage, fake or not.'
Centre management informed retailers about the drill in a memo ahead of time.
While police advised Westfield to put up signs so customers would know it's a training exercise, many upset parents have complained their children were left 'terrified'
'We advise that this area will be restricted and unable to be accessed by staff, contractors and the public during this time,' it read.
'Training scenarios will include the use of weapons which can be loud, please note no live ammunition will be used at any stage.
'If you anticipate any of your team members still being inside the centre during this time, we ask that you please make them aware of the training.
'In the event your store is trading during this period in another area of the centre, signage will be clearly displayed to alert customers, retailers and contractors that training is occurring.
'If customers come to you with concerns or queries, please advise them that this is a training exercise.'
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said 'extensive measures' were taken to notify retailers 'well in advance'.
'This notification included the date and hours of the exercise, the level where it was occurring and advised there may be loud noises,' she said.
'Signs were also erected in the centre as a further precaution advising any members of the public present that a training exercise was taking place.
'Specialist police conduct a variety of training in a range of environments to best re-create real-life scenarios.'
