Tara Murray
A St Albans man and a Hillside man were among 31 people who were arrested as part of an operation targeting street gangs and serious violent crime in Melbourne’s north-west.
Uniformed and specialist police from the Brimbank and Melton Divisional Offender Management Team, Gang Crime Squad, Brimbank, Melton and Wyndham Crime Investigation Units saturated the area each night between Wednesday and Saturday last week, as part of Operation Alliance.
Police arrested and charged 31 people for a range of offences, including breach of bail, armed robbery, aggravated burglary, drug trafficking and theft related offences.
They conducted 50 bail compliance checks, with 16 breaches detected, while police checked in with 42 people with known gang affiliations across Wyndham and Brimbank.
On the first night of the operation, police intercepted a vehicle on the Melton Highway.
Police said a quantity of methamphetamine and over $15,000 in cash was found in a car, along with numerous phones and other items.
Two men, a 29-year-old and a 28-year-old, were charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of drugs and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
The 29-year-old St Albans man was also charged with committing an indictable offence while on bail and possessing a prohibited weapon. They were both remanded in custody.
On Thursday night, a vehicle was stolen during an alleged aggravated carjacking.
The vehicle was observed by police shortly after. Police tracked the vehicle to Taylors Hill throughout the evening and deployed tyre-deflation tactics, eventually damaging the front right tyre.
Two men were arrested after allegedly attempting to flee the scene, with a 19-year-old Hillside man was charged with theft of motor vehicle and other serious offences.
North West Metro Division three, Brimbank and Melton, Superintendent David Jones said work in the area doesn’t stop.
“We know operations such as these significantly improve community safety and reduce serious and violent offences being committed in the area,” he said.
