Police have conducted a three-day high-visibility operation focused on preventing and disrupting crime in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie areas.
Between Thursday 29 May 2025 and Saturday 31 May 2025, Operation Soteria police – assisted by Newcastle City and Lake Macquarie Police Districts, Highway Patrol, the Hunter Region Enforcement Squad, Domestic Violence High Risk Offender Team, Dog Unit, and Youth Command – saturated the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie areas under Operation Surge to target and reduce crime.
During the operation, police arrested and charged seven people with a combined 18 offences, and conducted 44 bail compliance checks.
Incidents of note include:
- Between Monday 27 May 2025 and Tuesday 28 May 2025, three vehicles were allegedly stolen during two break and enters in Kilaben Bay and Kotara South. Following inquiries, five teens were charged and remain before the courts. The investigation continued, and about 3am on Friday 30 May 2025, officers arrested a 16-year-old boy at a fast-food outlet in Cardiff. He was taken to Belmont Police Station where he was charged with two counts of be carried in conveyance taken without consent of owner, aggravated break and enter and commit serious indictable offence in company, and aggravated break and enter dwelling etc in company steal. He appeared before a children's court later that day, where he was formally refused bail to appear before the same court on Monday 7 July 2025.
- About 1am on Saturday 31 May 2025, police attended a home in Islington where they arrested a 13-year-old boy following an investigation into alleged property offences and a breach of bail. He was taken to Newcastle Police Station where he was charged with two counts of enter inclosed land not prescribed premises without lawful excuse, breach of bail, and stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (personal). He was refused bail to appear before a children's court that day, where he was granted conditional bail to appear before a children's court on Wednesday 11 June 2025.
- About 7.45pm on Saturday 31 May 2025, police attended Cardiff Train Station where they arrested two boys - aged 15 and 16 - and a 17-year-old girl, in relation to an investigation into alleged property offences and breaches of bail. The 17-year-old girl was taken to Toronto Police Station where she was charged with breach of bail and was refused bail to appear before a children's court yesterday (Sunday 1 June 2025). The boys were taken to Belmont Police Station where the older boy was charged with five offences (aggravated break and enter dwelling etc in company steal, aggravated break and enter commit serious indicatable offence in company, aggravated break and enter and commit serious indictable offence, enter building/land with intent commit indictable offence, and be carried in conveyance taken without consent of owner). The younger boy was also charged with five offences (breach of bail, aggravated break and enter dwelling etc in company steal, aggravated break and enter commit serious indicatable offence in company, enter building/land with intent commit indictable offence, and be carried in conveyance taken without consent of owner). Both boys were refused bail to appear before a children's court yesterday (Sunday 1 June 2025). The older boy was formally refused bail to appear before a children's court on Monday 16 June 2025, while the younger boy was formally refused bail to appear before a children's court on Monday 14 July 2025.
Operation Surge will be continually rolled-out through various deployments.
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