Police arrested 15 people and seized seven weapons in an operation targeting crime at three major western suburbs public transport hubs last week.
The latest edition of Operation Pentagon was held at Werribee, Sunshine and Watergardens railway stations from Tuesday, April 2 to Thursday April 4.
Transit police were supported by local divisional resources, authorised officers and the Public Order Response Team (PORT) in patrolling the three hubs in an effort to detect and deter crime and bolster public safety.
Some of the arrests included a 35-year-old male from Oak Park for possession of an imitation firearm, a 49-year-old female from Deer Park for theft, a 14-year-old boy for possession of a machete and a 15-year-old boy for possession of an axe.
Police also worked with authorised officers to detect fare evaders.
Transit Safety Division Acting Senior Sergeant Matt Wilson said the aim of the operation was to send a clear message that crime on the public transport network will not be tolerated.
“These targeted operations help us detect and deter offending across the public transport network.” he said.
“This operation saw Transit police members, with support from PORT and local divisional resources patrol in and around several of our major western suburbs public transport hubs. We also had Transit police riding the train network to ensure the safety of commuters.
“Our focus is making sure people are not only safe but feel safe wherever and whenever they use public transport – so we will continue to have a highly visible presence and conduct these operations at major public transport hubs to boost safety.”
The previous edition of Operation Pentagon was held from January 9 to 11.
Cade Lucas.
