Victoria Police patrols at Melbourne and Geelong’s biggest shopping centres will be bolstered over the school holiday period as part of Operation Pulse.
Since December last year, police and Protective Services Officers (PSOs) have been patrolling four major shopping centres each day, rotating between a total of nine centres.
With winter school holidays in full swing, patrols have been bolstered to cover all nine centres across the two-week period.
This includes Pacific Werribee, Bayside Frankston, Highpoint, Fountain Gate, Northland, Watergardens, Southland, Eastland and key CBD retail locations in Geelong.
All shifts are voluntary, meaning there is no impact on the rail networks or frontline policing as officers are working at shopping centres in addition to existing shifts.
Since the operation commenced, more than 1,400 people have been arrested, facing more than 2,900 charges for crimes at shopping centres.
215 weapons have been seized throughout the operation.
Those arrested include prolific shop lifters, offenders carrying weapons, and criminals in stolen cars in shopping centre car parks.
Noteworthy Operation Pulse arrests include:
- A woman allegedly stole a $600 handbag from a shopping centre on 12 June. She returned to the same centre on 16 June and allegedly used the same handbag to conceal two hooded jumpers valued at $500. Upon her arrest, police also discovered she had been driving unlicensed which led to her car being impounded.
- A 17-year-old male who stole a knife from a supermarket at a shopping centre and attempted to conceal it down his pants on 12 June.
- A 31-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman who stole $1,000 worth of clothing from a department store at a shopping centre on 10 June. The pair attempted to flee police by running to a nearby park where they were arrested and the stolen items were recovered.
- A 43-year-old man and 46-year-old woman who were arrested after a short foot chase at a shopping centre on 15 March. The man was allegedly carrying a bag containing firearms, knuckledusters, nunchucks, ammunition and drugs. The woman was allegedly attempting to conceal a stolen tote bag worth $300.
Key Operation Pulse statistics since 8 December:
- 1,417 arrests
- 2,909 charges laid, with shop steal (1,419) and drug offences (239) most common
- 247 drug seizures.
- 224 weapons seized.
- 548 cautions issued.
- 506 fines issued.
- 20,581 vehicles checked.
Quotes attributable to Operation Pulse Superintendent Matt Baynes:
“This is a peak time for our shopping centres, and it’s important that both retailers and shoppers feel safe.
“The presence of police and PSOs has undoubtedly prevented significant offending at shopping centres, so we are pleased to be able to bolster our resources over this busy period.
“With over 1,400 charges laid for shop thefts alone – this sends a very clear message that there is no place for stealing at our shopping centres.”
