Five teenagers have been arrested following a lengthy pursuit across the southeastern and eastern suburb in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The chase followed several incidents believed to be linked:
- An alleged aggravated burglary on Cluden Street, Brighton East at 2am, where a handbag and a 2025 Porsche Cayenne wagon were stolen.
- An alleged attempted home invasion on Dendy Street, Brighton at 2.15am.
- An alleged attempted home invasion on Thomas Street, Hampton. A police vehicle was used to stop the Porsche, with two people feeling on foot just after 2.30am.
- An alleged aggravated burglary at a home on Sargood Street, Hampton at 3.35am, where a red MG was stolen.
The MG was tracked through several suburbs, including Hampton, Brighton and Noble Park before continuing onto Eastlink and the Monash Freeway, allegedly clocking speeds of up to 145km/h.
It was followed back to Bentleigh, where it was dumped on Patterson Road still running, before coming to a stop on the nature strip.
The trio jumped fences, with one climbing onto a roof, before the alleged offenders hid inside the house.
Police gained access to the property, where three people were arrested:
- A 15-year-old boy from the Greater Dandenong area
- Two 16-year-old boys from the Casey area
One 16-year-old from the Casey area was charged with theft of motor vehicle. He was remanded to appear in appear in a children's court at a later date.
During a subsequent search warrant at the Bentleigh address, police executed search warrant where they arrested a further two people - an 18-year-old man from Bentleigh and a 17-year-old boy from the Casey area. All four boys were released with intent to summons.
The arrests were part of Operation Trinity taskings, which is dedicated operation targeting burglars and car thieves from dusk to dawn across Melbourne.
On top of standard patrols, there are large numbers of additional police including members of the Dog Squad, Public Order Response and Air Wing, specifically tasked with preventing and responding to burglaries and car thefts each night.
As a result of this intense focus, police arrested 654 burglars and car thieves almost 1,700 times in the twelve months to the end of August 2025.
That equates to almost five burglars and car thieves arrested every single day.
Operation Trinity is Victoria Police's most well-resourced operation, with over 140,000 policing hours dedicated solely to this operation last year.
On top of this, the Air Wing spent well over a thousand hours in the sky last year tracking burglars and car thieves as part of Trinity.
Latest police intelligence indicates that as many as 65% of all aggravated burglaries in key hotspots are through unlocked doors/windows or unsuccessful attempts when the offender has discovered the property is locked.
As such, police implore the community to take simple steps such as locking all doors and windows on your home and car.
Quotes attributable to Southern Metro Regional Crime Squad Acting Detective Sergeant Lauren Hunt:
"Police hold serious concerns around children with little to no formal driving experience behind the wheel of stolen vehicles, putting innocent motorists in harm's way.
"That is why we are targeting burglars and car thieves every single night as part of Operation Trinity, which has led to 1,700 arrests in the past year.
"While we can assure the public that we are doing everything we can to detect and stop this type of offending, we ask residents to take simple measures to prevent burglaries and car thefts.
"The data tells is undeniable - if you lock your doors, your chances of falling victim dramatically decrease."
