NEWS DESK
Police outrun motorcyclist A MOTORCYCLIST pulled up at an Operation Wasp roadblock at Peninsula Link Bungower Rd exit at 11.30pm Friday 11 March ran off while being questioned by police. The 28-year-old Frankston North man was caught after a short pursuit and remanded in custody to appear at Frankston Magistrates Court Monday 14 March. Police said the man outstanding warrants and was wanted for several burglaries. Sergeant Steve Duffee of Mornington police said all Peninsula Link off ramps were blocked during Operation Wasp. “It is a road police operation where we set up off the exits on Friday at the start of the long weekend. It is a called Wasp as it is part of a sting operation,” Sergeant Duffee said.
Senior Sergeant Andrew Brockway, commander of the Division Four Highway Patrol said the operation breath tested drivers from about 2800 vehicles. “We identified six that exceeded the prescribed concentration of alcohol and two that exceeded the prescribed concentration of drugs. Two vehicles were impounded from these offences. We also identified one disqualified driver and two unlicensed drivers and issued a further nine penalty notices,” Senior Sergeant Brockway said. “These statistics are on par with what we have identified with previous Wasps, so issues with people continuing to drive while affected by alcohol and drugs are still continuing. We will continue to do these operations over Easter and the coming Anzac long weekend.”
Petrol drive-offs problem at pumps FRANKSTON has been named as a municipality where petrol station owners must beware of drivers leaving without paying for fuel. A state parliamentary inquiry into petrol drive-offs found Frankston is the sixth highest area in the state for nonpayment of fuel. The inquiry into fuel drive-offs report, tabled in Parliament last week, revealed drivers left service stations in Frankston without paying for petrol
1604 times from 2005-2014. The Mornington Peninsula did not rank in the top 10 drive-off locations. Kingston was ranked 10th in the drive-off stakes with 1233 in the same period. Brimbank (4035), Casey (3190) and Hume (2480) took out the top three places in the petrol drive-off hall of shame. Victoria Police told the inquiry numberplate thefts have contributed to a rise in petrol thefts in recent years.
New change rooms: With Paul Edbrooke, centre, after the announcement of a grant for change rooms for women at Centenary Park, Frankston, are, from left, Colin Hampton, James Dooley, Mark Brandon, Clayton Lee, Tanya O’Brien and Peta Murphy.
Changes for soccer women By Craig MacKenzie PENINSULA Strikers soccer club will build two women’s change rooms at Centenary Park. “We promised the Frankston community the great sporting facilities it deserves and that’s exactly what we’re delivering,” Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke said when announcing a $100,000 grant from the Community Sports Infrastructure Fund.
“They love their sport in Frankston and this fabulous project will mean participants of all abilities will be able to strut their stuff at a facility they can be proud of.” The new female-friendly facilities will allow the club to increase women’s and girls’ participation rates by enhancing the match day and training experience for all female players. “The building for this project will start in April or May when the large
club overhaul gets underway and to say that we are ecstatic about this announcement is a massive understatement,” Strikers president Mark Brandon said. “The extension to our training facilities, the new lights, the pending clubroom refurbishment and now the additional change rooms are going to allow our women’s wing and our juniors to double in size.”
Gangs show ‘disregard for the law’ Continued from Page 1 Gang members, aged 14 and up, show little regard for innocent victims of their crimes. A 15-year-old Patterson Lakes boy believed to be associated with the Apex gang was arrested after an early morning collision in Mordialloc in November last year that killed 47-year-old mother-of-two Amanda Matheson who was driving to work. A contentious ‘no-pursuit’ policy introduced last year has been defended by senior police who say lives are at risk when offenders are chased since they may be unlicensed and have no driving experience. Despite the Premier’s insistence that gang members will “feel the full force of the law” some police offic-
ers are frustrated at lenient sentences handed out to young offenders. In September last year, Frankston Embona Detective Sergeant Marty O’Brien said crime gangs such as Apex had a “blatant disregard for the law”. “We have 15 and 17-year-olds committing armed robberies and burglaries. They have no family support and their ages mean they walk straight from court.” He said one youth was bailed by Frankston Magistrates’ Court after committing 14 armed robberies. “Why a court would even entertain the idea of bail I don’t know,” he said. “We need to get harder because it’s getting worse. Upon conviction, they should be sent straight out of
the country. It’s a privilege to reside here.” Police arrested four people on the night of the Melbourne brawl and have vowed to track down other offenders. On Monday afternoon (14 March) two men, believed to be associated with the Apex gang, were arrested by police in Dandenong. The men, both aged 18, are alleged to have been involved in a recent spate of aggravated burglaries, carjackings and armed robberies across south east suburbs.
Bail not answer: Frankston police are frustrated at the leniency shown by the courts to some repeat young offenders.
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Mornington News 22 March 2016
Robin Tu
Hearing Care Professional Audiologist