Victoria Police launch Operation Trinity to crack down on youth crime

Police are cracking down on youth crime by launching a dusk-till-dawn patrol targeting aggravated burglaries and associated car thefts.

A police crackdown on break-ins and car thefts has resulted in more than 800 arrests in three months.

Victoria Police launched its Melbourne-wide Operation Trinity in April in a bid to target aggravated burglaries and associated car thefts in the area.

In the nightly operation, officers teamed up with specialist units, including air wing, dog squad, and public order response team, to increase its prevention and track down serial offenders.

Police are cracking down on car thieves. Picture: A Current Affair

Latest police data revealed the operation led to 813 arrests, including 216 arrests connected to alleged burglaries and car thefts.

The dusk-till-dawn patrol was sparked after there’d been a 30 per cent rise in aggravated home burglaries across Melbourne.

Acting Victoria Police Inspector Rob Nazaretian, one of the senior officers overseeing the operation, told A Current Affair that offending in the second half of 2022 coincided with a winding down of Covid-19 restrictions.

Acting Victoria Police Inspector Rob Nazaretian says young people are breaking into homes to steal keys for luxury cars. Picture: A Current Affair

“These offenders are very young and in some cases, we’re talking about children,” he said.

“The prime motivation seems to be looking for keys to steal cars parked in garages and driveways.”

Victorian Police air wing vision obtained by A Current Affair shows an alleged car thief stealing a BMW.

The car was later spotted speeding down the Melbourne’s EastLink freeway on just three tyres despite having its tyres slashed by police road spikes.

Victoria Police air wing footage showing the moment the car was allegedly stolen. Picture: A Current Affair

Senior Sergeant Courtney Guerin said offenders were constantly stealing luxury cars for fun.

“Once they lose the car they then have to go commit another serious offence and get a new one,” Sergeant Guerin told A Current Affair.

“Any easy access points, unlocked doors, that’s the house they’re picking.”

Police have noticed a reduction in break-ins that lead to car thefts, dropping from 30 per week to 19 alleged offences.

Originally published as Victoria Police launch Operation Trinity to crack down on youth crime