Police launch blitz on early horse risers

By Bridget Brady
POLICE were surprised at their strike rate during an early morning traffic blitz at the Cranbourne Racecourse last month.
Police started Operation TRACK at 4am on 15 November, breath testing 167 motorists and checking licence and vehicle registration of horse floats and all other vehicles entering the centre.
At 7.30am, police detected one drink-driver with a blood alcohol reading of 0.125.
Casey Highway Patrol members held the operation in conjunction with VicRoads, and Sergeant Pat McGavigan said police discovered 21 offences and handed out eight defect notices.
“We were surprised at the results. You don’t expect that many offences in the one occasion,” Sgt McGavigan said.
The offences included three unlicenseddrivers, four unregistered vehicles, three unreg-istered trailers and one motorist driving while suspended.
Sgt McGavigan said police decided to start Operation TRACK given the high amount of traffic entering in the morning. He said some drivers might have thought their likelihood of getting caught was minimal given they started work so early in the morning.
Sgt McGavigan said drivers should be aware that police conducted traffic checks at all times of the day and night and at a range of venues.