Mid-North Coast police “surge operation” leads to 23 arrests, smashed cars and a blazing field

Police have cracked down on social media crime braggarts and allegedly seized weapons and stolen goods with car crashes and foot chases breaking out up and down the Mid-North Coast.

Operation Soteria was conducted across the Mid North Coast and Coffs-Clarence police districts between July 9 and July 11 and saw 23 people arrested. Picture: NSW Police.

A massive regional policing operation has cracked down on “post and boast” social media users who glorify criminal behaviour online, resulting in 23 arrests after alleged dramatic foot and car chases that included collisions with police vehicles and fiery consequences.

The three-day “surge operation” from July 9 to July 11 focused on aggravated break, enter and robbery offences and involved police from along the Mid North Coast up to the Coffs-Clarence districts.

Officers attached to the NSW Police Force Youth Command also conducted 12 home engagement visits of youth known to police.

The combined police actions, titled Operation Soteria, resulted in 57 bail compliance checks, 17 person searches, 11 vehicle searches with four knives allegedly seized.

Four people, three women and one man, were arrested for outstanding warrants in the Kempsey area.

Officers spent three days as part of the “surge operation” across the Mid North Coast and Coffs-Clarence police districts between July 9 and July 11. Picture: NSW Police.

Police also conducted extensive roadside drug and alcohol testing, with 13 people allegedly returning positive roadside drug tests and five issued notices for allegedly driving while disqualified.

In one incident, police were patrolling Solitary Islands Way, Korora on July 9 when they sighted an SUV that had allegedly been stolen from a caravan park in Coffs Harbour a short time earlier.

Operation Soteria officers were kept busy with duties including compliance checks and a series of crashes across the Mid North Coast and Coffs-Clarence police districts between July 9 and July 11. Picture: NSW Police.

After the driver allegedly failed to stop as directed, police gave chase but abandoned this due to allegedly risky driving by the pursued vehicle.

However, a short time the SUV allegedly came to a crashing halt when it rammed two police vehicles.

The 35-year-old male driver was arrested following a brief struggle with police.

He was taken to Coffs Harbour police station and charged with 13 offences.

A police officer makes an arrest in bushland as part of Operation Soteria across the Mid North Coast and Coffs-Clarence police districts. Picture: NSW Police.

These include two counts of using an offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention, resisting police, driving a stolen vehicle, fleeing from police, dangerous driving, driving during licence disqualification and refusing or failing a breath test as well as an oral fluid test.

The man appeared before Bail Division Court on July 10 where he was formally refused bail to appear before Coffs Harbour Local Court on July 29.

In another case, police said officers were patrolling South Kempsey about 12.15am on July 10 when they saw a male walking along Reginald Ward Street allegedly holding a machete.

Police approached the 13-year- old, who police allege engaged with officers briefly before racing off with officers chasing on foot and eventually arresting the fleeing teenager.

Police allegedly seized Latex gloves and a machete from the boy, who was taken to a support person.

Operation Soteria officers were kept busy across the Mid North Coast and Coffs-Clarence police districts between July 9 and July 11. Picture: NSW Police.

He was left in their care and will be dealt with under the Young Offenders Act.

Also on July 10, police were called to the M1 Pacific Motorway at Telegraph Point about 3.10am following reports of a single-vehicle crash.

Police arrived to find a 19-year-old female provisional driver had crashed into a barrier.

The driver was issued with traffic infringement notices for negligent driving and breaching the conditions of her licence by having more than one passenger under 21 years of age between 11pm and 5am.

Police searched the area and located one of the vehicle’s passengers, a 21-year-old man, in nearby bushland.

He was arrested and taken to Port Macquarie police station where he was charged with breach of bail.

He appeared before Bail Court where he was granted strict conditional bail to appear before Port Macquarie Local Court on July 28.

An arrest during the three-day Operation Soteria surge across parts of the mid-north coast. Picture: NSW Police.

Officers patrolling the Pacific Highway at Sapphire Beach at just after 2pm on July 10 allegedly detected a vehicle travelling at approximately 110km/h in a signposted 60km/h zone.

Police stopped the vehicle at Opal Boulevard, Korora and spoke with the 28-year-old male driver and his passenger, a 31-year-old man.

A search of the vehicle led to police allegedly seizing jewellery and $4550 in cash.

Police allege the passenger had an outstanding arrest warrant in relation to alleged domestic offences.

Both men were arrested and taken to Coffs Harbour police station.

The younger man was charged with driving in a reckless or dangerous manner, driving or towing a vehicle with unsecured load, not complying to a P2 licence condition, not displaying P plates and dealing with property proceeds of crime equal to/ more than $10,000.

Officers executed the warrant to arrest the older man and charge him with two counts of contravening a domestic AVO prohibition/restriction.

Both men appeared before Bail Division Court 1 on July 11.

The younger man was refused bail and appeared before Coffs Harbour Local Court on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the older man was granted strict conditional bail to appear before Fairfield Local Court on August 25.

In another incident, police were called to a caravan park on Harbour Street, Yamba about 11pm on July 10 following reports of a break and enter.

Attending officers were told a male allegedly broke into a caravan before stealing a Toyota SUV.

Soon afterwards, police located the vehicle travelling on Yamba Road, Palmers Channel and gave pursuit when it allegedly failed to heed a direction to stop.

The allegedly fleeing vehicle then crashed into a power pole, which snapped and sparked a fire in nearby grassland.

Fire and Rescue NSW crews attended and extinguished the blaze.

The 17-year-old male driver was uninjured but was arrested at the scene and allegedly failed a roadside breath test.

He was taken to Grafton police station where he underwent a secondary breath analysis, which returned an alleged reading on 0.101, over twice the legal limit.

The boy was charged with aggravated break and enter, committing a serious indictable offence, not stopping and initiating a police pursuit, reckless driving, not wearing a seatbelt properly, being unlicensed, middle range drink-driving, stealing motor vehicle and breach of bail.

On July 11, the teen boy was granted strict conditional bail to appear back before a children’s court on Friday.