Police across the north and western suburbs have arrested 46 people, including several connected to youth street gangs, as part of an operation targeting serious and violent criminal offending in the area.
Uniformed and specialist police, including detectives from Brimbank and Wyndham Investigation and Response as well as the Brimbank Offender Management Team, were supported by the Gang Crime Squad as they saturated the Wyndham and Brimbank areas each night between Tuesday and Saturday last week, patrolling known high volume crime areas, conducting compliance checks and apprehending any outstanding offenders.
The concerted focus as part of Operation Alliance came following a number of aggravated burglaries committed at homes in the Wyndham area, with cars stolen to commit further offences across Brimbank and Melton, with several cars being located burnt out. Police believed this offending was connected to youth offenders.
Operation Alliance is the ongoing state-wide operation seeking to prevent, disrupt and dismantle youth gangs who are committing crimes such as home invasions, robberies, aggravated burglaries and car thefts.
Of those arrested as part of the five night operation, there were 11 youth offenders and seven individuals with affiliations to youth gangs. While the focus of the intelligence led operation was targeting known youth offenders in the area, police also detected a number of other serious offences as a result of their strong presence on the ground.
Between Wednesday 24 and Saturday 28 August, police:
• Arrested and charged 46 people for a range of offences, including breach of bail, attempted robbery, aggravated burglaries and weapons offences. Of those arrested, 12 were remanded to appear at court at a later date, while a further 16 were released pending summons.
• Executed 17 search warrants across suburbs including Werribee and Burnside.
• Conducted 70 bail compliance checks, with 18 breaches of bail detected.
• Checked 47 people with known youth gang affiliations across Wyndham and Brimbank. A further 183 offenders were also checked across the area as part of the operation.
• Intercepted and checked 237 vehicles, with six being impounded.
• Issued 39 fines for breaches of the Chief Health Officer directions.
Among those disrupted in Wyndham and Brimbank during the course of the operation were:
• On Wednesday 25 August, police arrested a 21-year-old male from Deer Park with known affiliations to a youth gang in relation to contravening a bail condition. The male was remanded in custody and will reappear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on 9 November.
• On Friday 27 August, officers from Caroline Springs were patrolling Melton as part of Operation Alliance when they observed a male with affiliations to a youth gang. When police observed the 23-year-old male from Brookfield, he was allegedly in the process of robbing a victim of their bicycle and other personal belongings. Police intervened to prevent the crime from being committed, arresting the male and charging him with attempted robbery. He was remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court at a later date.
• At around 10.20pm on Saturday 28 August, the Gang Crime Squad checked three vehicles in Mossfield Reserve, Hoppers Crossing. As police approached, approximately six to eight males ran from two of the vehicles. The remaining individuals were known to police and are allegedly affiliated with a youth gang. Upon searching the vehicles, police located and seized three large machetes. Police are in the process of following up with the registered owner of the vehicle and the investigation remains ongoing.
• On Friday 27 August, police units intercepted a Black Audi bearing stolen plates. The vehicle was stolen as part of an aggravated burglary at a Deer Park address on Monday 16 August, where up to four offenders allegedly knocked on the residence's front door and demanded car keys. They are alleged to have stolen both the Audi and a separate Transit van. Search warrants were executed at Werribee and Burnside addresses the following morning, with evidence seized from the Burnside property and a significant amount of allegedly stolen property seized from the Werribee address. A 34-year-old Burnside male and a 31-year-old Werribee male were both charged in relation to a range of offences, including theft of motor vehicle and aggravated burglary. The police investigation into this incident remains ongoing.
During the last four nights of the operation, there were no reported serious and violent non-FV related crimes or car thefts recorded across the Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Wyndham, Brimbank and Melton Police Service Areas, highlighting the positive impact made as a result of the concerted focus.
Detectives and police officers from the Brimbank Offender Management Team, Crime Investigation Unit, Brimbank and Wyndham Divisional Response Units, Caroline Springs and Werribee Proactive Policing Units, Gang Crime Squad, Wyndham Dog Squad and Police Air Wing were all involved in the operation.
Quotes attributable to Superintendent David Jones, North West Metro Division 3, Brimbank and Melton
"We know operations such as these significantly improve community safety, with no serious and violent offences or car thefts being committed in these areas across the last four nights of the operation, as police took offenders off the streets and locked them up."
"Our work in this area does not stop - we will continue to monitor any persons of interest and regularly perform bail compliance checks, holding them to account."
"These results as part of Operation Alliance were part of a combined effort by local police officers and detectives from the Brimbank Local Area Command, Wyndham Crime Investigation Unit, Gang Crime Squad and the Dog Squad."
