Cade Lucas
A Point Cook man was among seven people arrested during an operation conducted at train stations across Melbourne last week.
Aimed at detecting and deterring crime at major public transport hubs, Operation Pentagon took place from Tuesday January 9 to Thursday January 11, at Lilydale, Frankston and Werribee railway stations.
The Star Weekly was present at Werribee station on Thursday afternoon when a 29-year-old Point Cook man was arrested for an outstanding warrant and theft.
It was the only arrest made in Wyndham and the only incident observed on an otherwise quiet afternoon where uniformed police supported by Public Transport Victoria staff were positioned at the bus interchange outside the Manly Street entrance to Werribee station.
Speaking to Star Weekly after the arrest, Acting Senior Sergeant Andrew Hurst explained the reasoning behind Operation Pentagon.
“This is a two pronged operation where we not only are trying to detect crime, but we’re trying to prevent crime by providing physical policing,” Senior Sergeant Hurst said.
“By creating a physical presence that in itself is a mechanism that helps prevent crime. It’s a crime prevention strategy.”
Using physical presence as a deterrent was behind the introduction of Protective Services Officers (PSOs) to do night time patrols on train platforms more than a decade ago.
Senior Sergeant Hurst said Operation Pentagon and other similar initiatives were aimed at providing the same deterrent during daytime hours too.
“This particular operation is designed to come into effect when the PSO’s aren’t working which is where we’ve noticed a bit of a spike in our statistics as far as serious crime and the more petty stuff like grafitti and theft of bikes,” he said.
“There’s enough evidence to suggest if we conduct these type of patrols we should be able to put a dent in those statistics.”
Along with Werribee Station, Thursday’s operation also involved a police presence at Tarneit and Wyndham Vale stations, the bus interchange at Werribee Plaza and stations outside Wyndham at Altona and Newport.
Senior Sergeant Hurst said as a large, fast growing area, public transport crime was an issue in Wyndham, though no worse than other growth areas on the urban fringe.
He said most people they encountered during the operation were simply getting to where they needed to go.
“The majority of people are always happy to see police when they’re not involved.”
