Imagine a night where the shadows are alive, and the police are the only ones awake to face them. This is the reality in Melbourne's criminal heartland, where stolen cars, drugs, and high-speed chases are just another part of the night shift. Let's dive into the heart of the action, shall we?
The call crackles over the police radio before midnight: a stolen car spotted by the air wing helicopter. The silver ute, a vehicle often associated with illicit activities, is speeding down a major road, heading towards the relative safety of the bushland. Police crews are immediately dispatched, their sirens cutting through the night.
"We are heading north towards the river," a voice announces over the radio, a stark reminder of the constant vigilance required.
It's an unusually warm night, and Detective Senior Sergeant Matt Lewis is patrolling Melbourne’s sprawling outer west. Here, serious crimes like assaults and home invasions are, sadly, on the rise. Lewis is the officer in charge of Operation Shows, a nighttime initiative based out of Werribee police station. Launched in 2022, it was designed to tackle the surge in home invasions, carjackings, thefts, and other violent crimes plaguing Wyndham.
This particular stolen ute had already caught the attention of the police earlier in the night. The first time, it refused to stop, leading to a high-speed pursuit along Ballan Road. Now, it's careening down a dirt road, surrounded by fields and dead-end paths that lead to the Werribee River near Manor Lakes. These are the kinds of isolated spots where criminals often attempt to hide their stolen goods or evade the law.
But here's where it gets controversial... the driver of the stolen ute found himself completely stuck in a ditch while attempting to "bush-bash" his way out. The air wing, a crucial asset, hovered above, tracking the occupants as they scrambled to escape.
The next few minutes are a whirlwind of action. Officers, including Lewis, swarm the area, intercepting a man trying to flee on a bicycle he'd pulled from the back of the trapped ute. Then, they arrest the driver, a 30-year-old man from Sunshine West, sporting an unkempt beard and a high-vis Uber Eats jacket. A Belgian Malinois named Blue, a highly trained police dog, then brought in the third arrest – a 38-year-old man from Footscray who had attempted to escape through the bush.
"He’s a cracker, he is a really good dog," says handler Leading Senior Constable Brendan Williams, leading Blue into a cage in the back of his police car. When Victoria Police imported Blue from the Netherlands, Williams had to learn the foreign commands and retrain Blue to follow orders in English.
All three men involved in the air wing pursuit were subsequently charged with theft offenses and theft of a motor vehicle. The driver also faced charges for driving while disqualified and failing to stop for police.
These arrests were just a fraction of the activity during Operation Shows. Over the course of a Thursday and Friday, officers made 15 arrests. They also checked 464 vehicles, recovered four stolen cars, and impounded nine vehicles for offenses such as driving with a suspended license, speeding, and drink-driving.
During a six-hour patrol with Lewis, The Age witnessed six arrests and several extended follows of suspicious vehicles. In addition, there was a constant stream of unrelated police jobs pouring in through the car's speaker. These included a man fighting with a crowbar, a family violence dispute, and even a dead kangaroo.
Operation Shows Results Over Two Nights
- 15 arrests
- 11 infringement notices issued for offenses including driving while unregistered, driving with false number plates, using a phone while driving, and speeding
- 464 vehicles checked
- 143 vehicles intercepted
- 57 breath tests conducted
- 9 vehicles impounded for a range of offenses, including driving while suspended, speeding and drink-driving
- 4 stolen vehicles recovered
Among those charged by Operation Shows officers was a man nabbed for driving 150 km/h in a 60 km/h zone in Hoppers Crossing. The 21-year-old had previously been disqualified from driving and was allegedly driving while under the influence. The police helicopter was able to track the car to Old Track Place in Hoppers Crossing, where ground crews swooped in.
There was also a 41-year-old man charged with stealing a car after he was spotted driving a stolen Mazda in Hoppers Crossing; and a 24-year-old man from Corio who is expected to be charged on summons for failing to stop when directed by police, driving dangerously, running a red light and travelling at speeds above 105 km/h in a 70 km/h zone during a separate incident.
Most of the time, the officers are trying to anticipate what offenders might do, so they can intercept them before they become a danger to others, whether that’s ambushing them down a dirt road or deploying stop sticks – metal spikes used to puncture car and truck tyres – in their path. That’s why the air wing is so essential. It can feed back intelligence to ground crews in real time and track offenders from a distance.
Lewis emphasizes the importance of operations like this in stopping offenders in their tracks.
“We know that because people don’t steal a car just to get from A to B,” Lewis says.
It also shows the community that police are out and about – even if they aren’t wearing a uniform and travel in unmarked cars.
“You might not always see us, but we are always there,” Lewis says.
Patrolling the west is a complex business.
The area's population is exploding, but newer housing estates are often isolated, making them prime targets for criminals. In places like Manor Lakes, large family homes sit next to construction sites, a magnet for crooks looking to steal copper and tools. And then, there’s the warring youth gang problem.
A coroner’s report last month on the death of teen Solomone Kitione Charlie Taufe’ulungaki, near Brimbank Shopping Centre in 2020, shows more than half of Victoria’s young gang violence happens in Melbourne’s north-west. Police believe about 350 young gang members were operating in the area as of mid-2023.
It can be dangerous, too. Just last Friday, an offender rammed a police car at a petrol station carpark in Tarneit. It was the second time a police car had been rammed recently.
On the last occasion, the air wing followed the car through Tarneit, and officers on the ground were able to arrest two people. They found more than $54,000 in cash, a firearm, ammunition, drug paraphernalia, cocaine and MDMA inside the car.
Lewis says the busy nature of the north-west district is part of the appeal for police officers. The area has farmland and industrial estates, older housing and new estates. It is also home to the Cherry Creek Youth Justice Centre and a new court due to open next week. The population is among Melbourne’s most culturally diverse.
“It’s a good training ground for members to learn their skills, but importantly to engage with the community as well on both the proactive and a reactive means,” he says.
We return to the small command post at the Werribee police station around 2.30am. Senior Sergeant Peter West and a couple of other officers are sitting inside a small meeting room in an empty office floor. The walls are covered in maps and a large TV displaying a live feed from the helicopter camera. The only noise is the chatter coming from the radio.
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The air wing is tracking a car with stolen plates from Shepparton. Crews have been tailing it from a distance for a while, but all indications are it is travelling back towards northern Victoria.
“Call Shepparton,” West tells an officer.
This might just be one for local teams.
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What are your thoughts on the strategies used by the police in this area? Do you think the current approach is effective, or could there be better ways to address the issues? Share your opinions in the comments below!
