Australia! armed robberies, aggravated burglaries, car thefts 2025.1.3-1.3

Police have arrested dozens of people, mostly youths, as part of a crackdown on crime in Melbourne’s east and south-east.

Victoria Police said 41 people had been arrested over the past seven days and have been charged with more than 150 offences.

The alleged offenders age from 12 to 44, but police said the majority were youths.

They face charges relating to armed robberies, aggravated burglaries and car thefts.

The 12-year-old was allegedly part of a group of six youths involved in an armed robbery in Blairgowrie and were arrested in a stolen car on January 1.

Three boys aged 13 to 15 were arrested over 15 cigarette-motivated armed robberies at service stations and milk bars on December 22.

They were arrested in Noble Park on December 31 and one of the boys faces 19 charges.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested over a spate of alleged aggravated burglaries and a collision in a stolen car on December 29.

Police said the vehicle the boy was allegedly driving hit a house, fences, a pergola and two other cars before the boy was apprehended.

Numerous other youths were arrested over alleged robberies, home invasions and car thefts.

Acting Superintendent Andrew McKee said the age of some of the offenders was a concern.

“We have a small cohort (of youths) who continue to think it’s OK to undertake this type of offending. It is not, pure and simple, and we will continue to hold them to account, continue to take them to court,” he said.

“Any avenue that these kids are arming themselves, we’d be very interested from a community point of view to understand that so we can take actions around it.”

Arrests part of operation targeting night-time crime

Police used helicopters with night vision cameras to track some of the alleged offenders who were occasionally found hiding in backyards and garden sheds.

The police Dog Squad was also involved in a number of the arrests, which were part of Operation Trinity, which targets night-time burglaries and car thefts.

Acting Superintendent McKee said officers were kept busy over the Christmas and New Year period.

“Such a significant number of arrests in such a short time is indicative of just how seriously we take this type of offending,” he said.

“A lot of these arrests have occurred under the cover of darkness. While you’re sleeping, police are wide-eyed with members on ground and in the sky — no hiding place is safe for offenders.

“Our message to offenders is clear: if you want to play hide and seek with us, I can guarantee you, our members will always find you.”

Under Operation Trinity, police have arrested 673 burglars and car thieves over the 12 months to September 2024.

A further 7,350 people have been processed for other night-time offences by police working night shift.