Crop in police hands Repeat offenders
‘shadowed’ by police
Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au POLICE are praising “astute members of the public” for helping them seize a massive haul of cannabis in Rosebud last Thursday. Sergeant Chris Russo, of Mornington Peninsula CIU, said 164 plants were seized as well as 76 cuttings which were in the process of being propagated. He said the crop had a street value of $150,000. Seven police raided the Eastbourne Rd house which had been set up as a hydroponic cannabis warehouse. Six rooms were filled with black plastic tubs for growing the plants which were hooked up to a water system in the bath. A power bypass system in the ceiling diverted electricity from the mains supply. Sergeant Russo said the house had been under continual surveillance but that members of the public had made the police job easier. He said the owner of the house was being sought. It did not appear to be a rented house. The haul was transferred to Rosebud police station for analysis. Anyone with information is asked to call Sergeant Russo at Mornington Peninsula CIU, 59781300 or triple zero.
Runaway CLEANERS disturbed an intruder at a supermarket in Balnarring, 1am,
On a high: Police seized 164 cannabis plants from the Eastbourne Rd, Rosebud, house last Thursday. Picture: Yanni
Wednesday 10 August. Mornington Peninsula CIU’s Senior Sergeant Miro Majstorovic said a man wearing a mask was spotted trying to enter a manhole in the loading bay of the Russell St premises, but ran off when disturbed.
fenders smashed the front windows of the Balnarring Post Office but could not gain entry. Sergeant Majstorovic said CCTV and other forensic evidence was being examined.
Shop damages
WHISKY and chocolates valued at $2000 and possibly cigarettes were stolen from a Mt Martha supermarket, 1am, Wednesday 10 August. Four offenders used a sledgehammer to smash through the front windows of the Lochiel Av store before entering and trying to break open the cigarette cabinet. Sergeant Majstorovic said the men ransacked cabinets and shelving.
OFFENDERS smashed the front glass window of a laminating factory in Balnarring, overnight Tuesday 9 August. They then attempted to jemmy open the front door of the business on Frankston-Flinders Rd, causing $2000 damage. In a possibly linked attempted robbery the same night, of-
Supermarket raid
FRANKSTON police are working around the clock to keep residents safe by blitzing crime hotspots, arresting repeat offenders and responding to incidents in public spaces and on train-lines. Sergeant Phillip Hulley said that, by day 65 of its operation last week, the Shadow Taskforce had made 200-plus arrests – equating to an average of three per day. “So far, 4122 vehicles have been checked with many of these checks resulting in traffic stops or the execution of outstanding warrants,” he said. “A large number of the vehicles checked have also been searched for drugs and weapons.” Sergeant Hulley said task force members had “come out of the shadows” to speak with more than 1194 persons of interest. “Many of those persons were later searched for drugs and weapons where reasonable grounds existed.” After visiting the 24-hour Frankston police station on Thursday, Police Minister Lisa Neville gave a big thumbs’ up to the officers’ “dedication in serving and protecting the community”. She praised Shadow Taskforce police for “doing great work driving down crime and locking up repeat offenders to keep local residents safe”. “Community engagement is the essence of good policing – that’s why it’s great to see Frankston
police fostering strong relationships with the local community,” she said. The Shadow Taskforce aims to actively target repeat offenders through overt and covert police work, while also dealing with aggravated burglaries, drug use and youth crime. It has reportedly had “a significant impact” in the Frankston retail and business precincts, with local traders and residents noticing more police on the beat. Police custody officers have been on duty in Frankston since May and are helping to free up police to return to the beat. In May, police set up the statewide Operation Cosmas to investigate aggravated burglaries and car jackings, resulting in more than 130 arrests. Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke praised Frankston police targeting crime hotspots and boosting their presence in public spaces. “Targeted operations are helping in tackling youth offending, public order incidents and anti-social behaviour,” he said. The $596 million Public Safety Package announced in the Victorian Budget 2016/17 will fund an extra 406 sworn police officers, mobile technology and other specialist equipment. More than 200 custody officers are working at 22 of Victoria’s busiest police stations, with their rollout to be completed at the end of 2017.
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Western Port News
16 August 2016
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