Plain-clothed police to ride City of Knox buses to catch crooks from other areas

CROOKS are catching buses to travel to suburbs in Melbourne’s east and commit crimes. And plain-clothed police plan on being fellow passengers under a new crackdown.

Police are targeting bus services, including Route 901 from Frankston to Melbourne airport, as crooks ride into other suburbs to commit crimes. Picture: File

CROOKS bussing into Melbourne’s east from other suburbs to commit their crimes are the target of a new police crackdown.

Plain-clothed officers will ride suburban services in the Knox area day and night to catch out wanted criminals and suspects.

The initiative, called Operation Rider, will begin this week.

Knox Sgt Col Clausen told the Herald Sun criminals from Frankston and Dandenong in particular were catching buses into the area before embarking on illegal activity.

Route 737 from Croydon to Monash University and Route 901 from Frankston to Melbourne airport would be a focus for police

“We are finding that some of the offences that are being committed in our area are committed by offenders that are coming from down south and even from the north,’’ Sgt Clausen said.

“We’re doing a number of things to target offenders coming from other areas into our patch and this is one of them.

“If you are on a bus in the City of Knox, there is every chance that you’re sitting either next to or near a plain-clothed police officer and you won’t know it.”

Police aim to stop criminals bussing into Melbourne’s east to commit crimes. Picture: File

A pilot conducted in January and February detected numerous offenders with outstanding warrants as well as suspects of crime.

Drug deals and illegal weapons were also uncovered aboard the services.

On one occasion, a commuter handled a knife unaware they were sitting opposite a plain-clothed police officer.

“We come across all sorts of strange things,’’ Sgt Clausen said. “But the primary reason for it is to locate offenders that might be coming into our area and to pick up those who are perhaps wanted on other ­matters.

“We’ve found we’ve had a fair bit of success in picking up persons that are wanted on outstanding warrants or ­persons whose whereabouts are desired for outstanding ­investigations.

“We want to show that we are being completely open and transparent about the fact this operation is being run and hope that, in itself, contributes to reducing some of the crime in our area.

“The vast majority of people on the buses do the right thing — but the old saying is that we deal with 5 per cent of the population 95 per cent of the time and that rings true on the buses too.

“They are either on the train network or they’re on the bus network and they can reach fair distances.”

Knox takes in the suburbs of Wantirna, Wantirna South, Scoresby, Rowville, Boronia, Bayswater, The Basin, Ferntree Gully and Upper Fenrtree Gully.

Operation Rider will run for several months and has gained operational support from transit police who may look to expand it elsewhere.

Transport hubs including Westfield Knox shopping centre and Boronia and Bayswater railway stations will be included in the operation, along with parts of Maroondah such as Croydon and Ringwood.

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