Police zero in on crime

By Alison Noonan
POLICE are set to flood Cranbourne streets in the coming weeks as part of a tough new blitz on crime.
Cranbourne police teamed up with the Dandenong Regional Response Unit, Casey Traffic Management Unit and Endeavour Hills police to begin Operation Zero last week.
Members stepped up weekend patrols in Hampton Park and Cranbourne in a bid to create a greater police presence in the area.
Acting Sergeant Peter Carroll said police aimed at saturating perceived trouble spots in Cranbourne and Hampton Park.
“We are always out and about patrolling but over the weekend we patrolled in numbers so that the public could gain an idea of our strength and commitment to the area,” he said.
Police patrolled the Hampton Park CBD, Hallam Railway Station and various school and industrial areas before moving to Cranbourne where they targeted railway stations, High Street and licensed venues.
Operation Zero coordinator Senior Constable Deb Barclay said members also ran plain clothes foot patrols through the shopping centres, receiving positive feedback from traders.
“Last week we had police dogs out and this week we used cars and people power,” she said.“We will continue to use varying patrolling methods to keep offenders on notice and ensure that people feel safe in the community and confident in their local policing service.”
Senior Constable Barclay said, during the blitz, police recorded 62 traffic offences, 23 behaviour charges, one drugs charge and two charges in relation to weapons.