TWENTY people were arrested in the Footscray central business district last week after police saturated the area with officers to target criminal behaviour – and similar operations are planned for the future.
Police said several weeks’ planning went into Operation Reward, which centred on the Nicholson Street Mall and surrounding streets. It was orchestrated in a bid to stamp out drug-related and property crime.
“We identified a number of hot-spots and worked to target criminal activity in those areas,” Senior Sergeant David Byrt, from the Footscray criminal investigation unit, said.
“It is important that people in our community feel safe to travel into the CBD to carry out their business.”
There were 10 arrests for drug possession, trafficking and theft of, and from, motor vehicles. Five arrests were made for property offences such as burglary and five were in relation to outstanding warrants.
