Operation Alliance: Youths arrested during three-day gang crackdown

The rate of robberies in Melbourne’s northwest has fallen as a police blitz cracked down on youth gangs.

Dozens of youths with gang affiliations have been the focus of a policing blitz in Melbourne’s northwest suburbs in the past week.

Operation Alliance resulted in 47 arrests with police checking-in with over 240 persons of interest in high-volume crime areas.

Police conducted three nights of disruptive activity, from Friday to Sunday, across the Wyndham, Brimbank and Melton areas in an effort to stop violent offenders in their tracks.

As part of the operation 6 people were arrested on Friday night after transit police targeted weapon offences in the vicinity of Watergardens Railway Station – police seized one knife and illicit drugs.

On Saturday, AirWing and local police tracked a white Jeep Cherokee with stolen number plates to Hummingbird Boulevard in Tarneit where the driver fled on foot.

Police caught the 17-year-old Carlton man who was arrested and charged with car theft, stolen number plates and driving offences.

Over the three days, police conducted 129 bail compliance checks, identifying 58 breaches of bail.

In a statement Superintendent Michael Cruse said that Operation Alliance was making an impact in the area.

“…[We] are seeing less serious and violent offences by young offenders in these areas,” he said.

“Police have a greater line of sight on people associated with youth gangs than ever before. We know who they are, and we know their offending habits.

“While the patterns of offending are not prominent in the community at the moment, with robberies remaining at low levels, we want to continue to do everything we can to put these youth gangs on notice and disrupt their activities before they impact the community.

“We do know that we cannot completely arrest our way out of this issue and that is why we continue to intervene early to prevent a young person’s involvement in a life of crime.”