A COMMUNITY volunteer was issued with a $1000 fine for carrying a box cutter she needs for her job.

Ashleigh Hicks, 19, was stopped by police during random checks at Frankston train station in February.

"I had dreadlocks at the time and there was a large crowd of people walking and they picked me out," Ms Hicks said.

She told police she had needed the cutter for opening boxes during her shift at K-Mart the night before.

"They (the police] said 'do you have any weapons on you?' and I said, 'If you count a box cutter as a weapon then I guess yeah'," she said.

Police then confiscated the box cutter and issued her with a $1000 fine.

Ms Hicks feared the incident would affect her dream job of working with disabled children.

"I was shocked. I was in tears because I work with people with disabilities and I have my working with children (police) check and I was just worried that it might affect it," she said.

Ms Hicks said she tried to explain that the box cutter has a safety and could not to be used as a weapon.

Under the Brumby Government, police were given the power to issue on-the-spot fines to anyone found carrying a knife without reason.

The law was designed to be exercised with common sense by police.

Ashley's mother, Trudy Hicks, said she could not understand the fine.

"We understand the logic behind the clean-up the streets but you just have to have some common sense," she said.

"The infringement said 'without lawful excuse' but she did have a lawful excuse - it was for work."

The teen tried to contest the fine with character references and a letter from the K-Mart manager, but the appeals were rejected.

The family is now contemplating seeking legal advice.

"We didn’t want to go down this track but it’s just wrong," Mrs Hicks said.

Originally published as Teen fined $1000 over work gear