Police operation catches thousands

Emergency Services

2 Mar 12 @ 11:05am by Georgie Haberfield

POLICE on bikes caught a car that ran three red lights in North Melbourne as part of Operation Halo.

Bike squad police saw the black Ford Falcon travelling north on Elizabeth St, near Therry St, just before 3pm on Wednesday.

The car did not pull over, so police chased the car o their bikes.

The car then allegedly went on the wrong side of the road and ran three red lights on Victoria St.

They lost sight of the car at the corner of Peel St, but found the car again at the corner of Flemington Rd and Harker St.

The 38-year-old Thornbury man was arrested and police also found stolen goods in the car.

He was charged with dangerous driving, evading police, resisting arrest and handling stolen goods and his car was also impounded under hoon legislation.

Operation Halo ran throughout February and focussed on reducing pedestrian, cyclist and motorcyclist trauma.

Police gave out more than 6,000 infringements.

It was run in Melbourne, Port Phillip, Yarra, Boroondara and Stonnington.

Operation coordinator Sen-Sgt Dale Johnstone said it was the first large scale operation of its kind in Victoria.

“That didn’t mean that we are targeting these road users – what our police were targeting were the factors behind road trauma involving vulnerable road users,” he said.

Comments

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Karen Robinson writes:
Posted on 3 Mar 12 at 07:56am: Well done to our police force for doing their job! Badly done by all those 6,000 road users who sustain a road traffic infringement! It was also good to hear our police force talking about targeting the factors behind road trauma involving vulnerable road users. In order to have received a road traffic infringement, a road user must have been breaking the law. Breaking the law means that each of the 6,000 road users who sustained an infringement, also took an unnecessary risk on our roads. And with each risk taken on our roads, put themselves and other road users at risk of death or serious injury. The ripple affect caused by each road user death, reaches out to many family, friends, work colleagues and the wider community. Each year on our roads in Victoria, approximately 300 people are killed due to road trauma and approximately 5,700 seriously injured! My message to all drivers.....don't become your family's road trauma story. Drive safely and responsible on our roads...Karen Robinson - Volunteer Road Trauma Awareness Speaker in memory of my son Ben...killed in road trauma 2009 at the age of 25...