By Alesha Capone
Police have arrested 24 people during a three-day operation conducted across Wyndham, including an offender who allegedly deliberately rammed a police car.
Operation Vaporise, which took place between Thursday and Saturday, involved several police units.
Senior Sergeant Adam Wojcik from Wyndham North police station said officers mapped “crime hotspots” across the municipality prior to the operation, where high-volume offences – such as thefts of, and from, vehicles – have been occurring in recent months.
During Operation Vaporise, officers were rapidly deployed to these sites when crime was reported.
“It’s all about getting officers to the offending as it happens,” Senior Sergeant Wojcik said.
Apart from arresting 24 people during the operation, police intercepted 466 vehicles; conducted 279 preliminary breath tests; and issued 79 infringements. Officers also issued 10 cautions and impounded eight vehicles.
The arrests made during Operation Vaporise included Two 15-year-olds who were arrested in Tarneit on Thursday.
They were arrested in relation to swarming offences committed in the west and wider metropolitan area. The teenagers were located by police in a vehicle displaying stolen plates, which has been linked to multiple petrol drive-offs and traffic offences.
Around 8pm on Friday, police ordered a vehicle towing a trailer to stop, but the driver failed to obey. Police pursued the vehicle along several roads, including Seasons Boulevard, Sayers Road, Morris Road, Hogans Road, Tarneit Road, Heaths Road and Greaves Street North.
The vehicle ended up going offroad, into a floodway that runs from Cambridge Crescent to Ballan Road. The vehicle exited the floodway near a service station.
One police car was rammed and other police units assisted in stopping the vehicle.
The trailer being towed on the fleeing vehicle flipped, bringing it to a stop.
Two males were taken into custody.
A 30-year-old Sunshine man has been charged with driving reckless conduct, evading police, intentionally driving at police and being on outstanding warrants.
On Saturday, around 8.10pm, officers observed a car with homemade numberplates on Hogans Road in Hoppers Crossing. Upon stopping the vehicle, police located drugs and stolen baby formula. A man was charged and bailed on offences related to theft, handling stolen goods, traffic offences and drugs.
Later in the night, Senior Sergeant Wojcik and his partner responded to reports of an erratic driver on Sneydes Road in Point Cook just before 9.15pm. They observed a vehicle travelling at 115 kilometres per hour in a 60 kilometres per hour zone, swerving all over the road.
Police stopped the vehicle and located a large commercial quantity of various drugs in the vehicle, along with a taser. A 22-year-old Craigieburn was arrested and is facing charges related to drugs, conduct offences and dangerous driving.
-Also on Saturday, Highway Patrol Officers detected a vehicle allegedly travelling at 31kms above the speed limit on Sneydes Road.
The 31-year-old disqualified driver, from Craigieburn, was driving his girlfriend’s car. The car was impounded.
Senior Sergeant Wojcik said he would like to thank police from Wyndham, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, ND2 Westgate Division Crime Units, Transit Police, Highway Patrol and Public Order Response Teams who took part in Operation Vaporise.
Operation Vaporise will continue in Wyndham at a later date.
