Several car thieves were arrested in Wyndham last week, with police seizing a machete, imitation firearm and drugs, as part of an overnight operation in Wyndham.
Officers were patrolling the Werribee area when they spotted a BMW displaying false registration plates on Shaws Road at about 2.15am on Wednesday 12 November.
Police attempted to intercept the car, before it drove off at high speeds.
Air Wing monitored the car travelling through Hoppers Crossing and Werribee of speeds up to 150 km p/h. The car came to a brief stop on Bethany Road where a passenger got out of the car and attempted to flee, before quickly being arrested by nearby officers.
Officers continued to track the car to Pleonie Court, observing the driver fleeing the car and go into a property on Walls Road.
The driver was swiftly arrested and taken into custody. Checks on the vehicle revealed that it was stolen.
The driver, a 33-year-old from Werribee was charged with theft of motor vehicle and driving on a suspended licence.
His passenger, a 37-year-old woman from Tarneit was released pending further enquiries.
Officers were quickly onto the next dangerous driver, after observing a Porsche displaying false plates travelling on Bladin Street in Laverton at about 3.45am.
Police observed the car travelling at high speeds on Leakes Road, where they attempted to intercept it before it drove off and continued travelling on Leakes Road.
Stop sticks were deployed, and the car came to a stop on Crossway Avenue where the alleged driver fled on foot.
Air Wing observed the man above throwing items away before assisting in coordinating units on the ground to place him under arrest.
Officers located an alleged backpack that had been dumped which contained a small quantity of methyl amphetamine. A search of the vehicle also revealed a machete inside, and subsequent checks confirmed it was a stolen car.
The driver, a 30-year-old man from Laverton, was charged with theft of motor vehicle conduct endangering persons, possess controlled weapon, display false plates, unlicenced driving, drive when directed to stop and disobey red traffic signal. He was bailed to appear at court at a later date.
An imitation firearm was located inside a Captiva at about 10.30pm on Wednesday 12 November.
Officers first spotted the car with no registration plates driving erratically on McGraths Road in Werribee.
The car was tracked to Hampton Parade in Footscray where officers closed in and observed the driver allegedly ingest a small quantity of drugs. He was removed from the vehicle and placed under arrest.
A search of the vehicle uncovered the weapons as well a small quantity of GHB
The driver, a 39-year-old from Braybrook, was conveyed to hospital for medical assessment.
He is expected to be charged with offences relating to possessing an imitation firearm, dangerous driving and fail to display registration plates.
In total, eight dangerous drivers and car thieves were arrested across two nights in Wyndham this week.
Police recovered four stolen cars and impounded a further three for driving offences.
15 drivers were issued with penalty notices for traffic offences such as driving while unregistered and speeding.
Operation Shows sees local police team up with specialist units including the Air Wing and Dog Squad to target high harm offending including aggravated burglaries, car thefts and dangerous driving.
The operation commenced in 2022, and over 1,200 people have been arrested for more than 1,900 offences committed across the Wyndham area.
Police have charged over 280 people with unauthorised driving, impounded nearly 250 cars and recovered over 70 stolen cars.
This type of operation and response continues to build intelligence around networked offending and those out conducting criminal activity overnight, particularly in stolen cars.
The operation will continue to run regularly in the Wyndham area, with local police committed to community safety.
Anyone with information about car thieves is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
Quotes attributable to Wyndham Senior Sergeant, Peter West:
"Catching those driving around in stolen cars is why Operation Shows is so important - these are people who are likely to go on and commit further offences.
"Not only are we able to arrest these offenders and recover cars stolen from innocent community members - we are sending a strong message that we may be out at anytime.
"You won't know when Operation Shows is running, and while you may not see us, we are always there.
