MERRI-BEK: Fake plate racket busted
n Some 26 stolen cars have been recovered and more than 130 false number plates seized as part of a regular car theft operation in Mel-bourne’s inner northern suburbs.
Uniform police have been running Operation Boston in Merri-bek since August last year, utilising Automatic Number Plate Recognition Technology to rapidly scan vehicles and identify if they are stolen.
Nearly 120,000 vehicles have been scanned since the operation’s inception.
The technology instantly provides police with registration details which means they can easily detect suspended, unlicenced and unregistered drivers.
In addition to patrolling main roads such as Sydney Rd, Lygon and Bell Sts, officers have also set their sights on quieter residential streets where stolen cars are often parked overnight.
Due to the operation running during the Protected Industrial Action in place at this time, a large portion of the statistical data is unavailable.
At least nine people have been arrested since the beginning of the operation.
Key arrests include:
n A white BMW SUV was observed on North Widford St in Broadmeadows driving erratically at about 3.15am on January 15. Subsequent ANPR scanning found the car to be allegedly bearing a false number plate. With Air Wing assistance, the vehicle was tracked to North Melbourne where the driver and a passenger allegedly fled on foot. The two alleged offenders were arrested by police nearby. The vehicle was allegedly found to have been stolen from the Glen Waverley earlier in the month.
n A 24-year-old Hadfield driver who allegedly failed to stop during an attempted intercept on Pentridge Boulevard in Coburg about 3am on September 13. Police will allege he sped off in a blue Ford Mustang before reaching speeds of 180-kmh. With Air Wing assistance, police tracked the vehicle to Hadfield and observed the driver, along with two passengers, allegedly enter another car and take off. They allegedly drove to a nearby street, where they boarded a third car, however police quickly attended and arrested them without incident.
n A 28-year-old South Melbourne woman and 24-year-old Bayswater North man who allegedly fled from a stolen Mercedes sedan on Gillies St in Fairfield about 3.45am on August 12. Police will allege the driver of the stolen vehicle failed to stop for police during an earlier intercept attempt near High St.
Merri-bek Local Area Commander Inspector Andrew Markarkis said: “Using ANPR technology means we can scan vehicles at a rapid rate.
“We can identify a stolen car or unlicensed driver in a matter of seconds,” Insp. Markarkis said.