Police preying on car thieves

Editorial: Grant Condon

Police in Melbourne’s south east have swooped on more than 400 offenders in a widespread operation targeting vehicle crime.

In the year since its launch in March 2019, Victoria Police’s Operation Birds of Prey has resulted in 408 arrests and 2,950 charges for vehicle crime-related offences, including theft of and theft from motor vehicles.

Key arrests from the operation have included a 34-year-old Seaford man charged with 129 offences and a 19-year-old male, who will face court on theft of motor vehicle and handling stolen goods charges.

Birds of Prey brings together three localised operations – Night Hawk, Night Owl and Night Eagle – all dedicated to cracking down on vehicle crime in the Port Phillip, Stonnington, Glen Eira, Bayside, Kingston, Frankston and Mornington Peninsula areas.

“Police take the thefts of and thefts from motor vehicles very seriously because we know the personal impact and inconvenience it can have on a victim’s day-to-day activities,” Southern Metro Region Assistant Commissioner Robert Hill said.

“We also know these offences can often be a gateway to more violent crimes, with stolen vehicles regularly used in burglaries, ram raids, pursuits, and in evading police.

“By making these arrests and holding offenders to account, we’re stopping criminals at the first step of what could be a path to further crimes that seriously impact the safety of the wider community.”

General duties police, detectives from crime investigation units and officers from frontline tactical and divisional response units have all been deployed across the three operations that make up Birds of Prey.

Police have made more than 400 arrests during Operation Birds of Prey. The operation targets vehicle-related crime in Melbourne’s south east.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology has also been used to identify false registration plates, stolen vehicles and people wanted on outstanding warrants.

“While all these measures are helping us identify offenders, the best tool police have in combating vehicle crime is the public,” AC Hill said.

“Reporting any vehicle crime as soon as possible is crucial because it gives police a greater opportunity to potentially locate and arrest the offenders and collect valuable evidence.

“But the best way to combat vehicle crime is to prevent it happening in the first place.

“There are simple precautions Victorians can adopt to reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim of car theft – lock our homes and vehicles and place car keys in a secure location.”

Night Hawk, Night Owl and Night Eagle are ongoing operations and will continue to run throughout Melbourne’s south east.