Police have concluded a high-visibility operation this week, proactively disrupting crime in Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo and Wellington.
Operation Surge has been formed to target young offenders committing break and enters. It is also designed to target domestic and family violence offenders, firearm offences and more.
The operation ran from Wednesday 16 October 2024 to Friday 18 October 2024 and involved officers attached to several Western Region commands.
Results from Operation Surge include,
• Six Firearm Prohibition Order (FPO) searches
• 34 bail-compliance checks
• One unauthorised firearm seized
• Seven prohibited weapons seized
• 12 person searches
• Eight people charged with 17 offences.
Incidents of note included,
• About 2.20pm on Wednesday (16 October 2024), police executed a Firearms Prohibition Order (FPO) at an address on Meadowbank Drive, Dubbo. A 17-year-old boy was arrested at the scene and taken to Dubbo Police Station. He was charged with possess unauthorised firearm, possess prohibited drug, and breach of bail. He appeared in a children's court the next day (Thursday 17 October 2024), where he was granted conditional bail to appear before a children's court on 3 February 2025.
• On Thursday (17 October 2024), a 36-year-old man who was wanted on outstanding warrants was arrested at an address on Coulson Place, Orange. He was taken to Orange Police Station, where he was charged with two counts of use etc offensive weapon with intent to commit indictable offence, two counts of stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (domestic), and assault occasioning actual bodily harm (DV). He faced Orange Local Court yesterday (Friday 18 October 2024), where he was granted conditional bail to appear before the same court on 3 December 2024.
• On Thursday (17 October 2024), a 51-year-old man was arrested and charged with six offences, Including police pursuit – not stop – drive recklessly, possess prohibited drug, drive whilst disqualified and other traffic offences. He was bail refused by police and appeared in Orange Local Court yesterday (Friday 18 October 2024).
• About 5.50pm yesterday (Friday 18 October 2024), police attended an address on Algona Crescent, Orange, where they arrested a 41-year-old man who was wanted on outstanding warrants. The man was taken to Orange Police Station, where he was charged with two counts of common assault (DV) and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (DV). He was refused bail to appear before Dubbo Local Court today (Saturday 19 October 2024)
Operation Surge will be continually rolled-out through various deployments in the Western Region.
