Police have saturated the Central Coast in a high-visibility operation targeting outstanding offenders and proactively disrupting crime.
Operation Overwatch was set up by the Tuggerah Lakes Police District to ensure community safety, following incidents of serious crime at the northern end of the Central Coast.
The operation was aimed to prevent and disrupt serious violent crime through identifying and targeting recidivist offenders, while also conducting compliance checks for a number of police and court appointed orders – including bail orders, AVO checks, firearms and weapons prohibition orders and intensive corrections orders.
Yesterday (Tuesday 15 December 2020), officers attached to Tuggerah Lakes Police District – with assistance from the Northern Region Domestic Violence High Risk Offender Team, Northern Region High Visibility Policing Unit, Northern Region Operational Support Group (Operation Utah) and Traffic & Highway Patrol – were deployed within the Tuggerah Lakes District between 3pm and 9pm.
Officers conducted a high-visibility injection into two sectors:
- The Entrance, Long Jetty, Bateau Bay and Killarney Vale
- Lake Haven, Gorokan, Charmhaven and Kanwal
Mobile breath testing was conducted throughout each sector, while officers simultaneously conducted compliance checks at dozens of addresses across the two sectors. In addition, mobile general duties officers conducted pushbike patrols of highly-populated areas.
As a result of Operation Overwatch:
- One Weapons and Firearms Prohibition Order was conducted in San Remo;
- 29 person searches were conducted;
- 13 ADVO compliance checks were conducted;
- 33 bail compliance checks were conducted;
- 13 persons arrested in total for offences including outstanding warrants, goods in custody, assault, custody of knife in public place and breach of AVO. Numerous other warrant enquiries were made;
- 217 RBT's were undertaken, with four positive roadside drug tests and three persons charged with PCA
- 75 vehicle stops were conducted, resulting in six vehicle searches and two defects identified;
- Eight traffic infringement notices were issued;
- 14 licensed premises inspections were conducted;
- One person issued with a move on direction; and
- One person charged for possess prohibited drug.
Community engagements were also conducted in Lake Haven, San Remo, The Entrance and Bateau Bay, with police speaking to residents about their community concerns. Officers also visited the Berkeley Vale Christmas Lights display, which was greatly appreciated by the children in the area.
Tuggerah Lakes Police District Commander, Superintendent John Gralton APM, said Operation Overwatch was a two-pronged strategy – targeting offenders while helping to boost community confidence.
"Operation Overwatch was just as much about engaging recidivist offenders in our neighbourhoods as it was about engaging with members of the public in a highly-visible way.
"We want to assure the community that their safety is our top concern – in their homes, in their streets, in their workplaces, in their shopping destinations.
"We want the residents of the Tuggerah Lakes area to see their police out on the streets in numbers, targeting those who want to break the law and disrupt the peace.
"We will not stand for it, we will arrest these offenders and we will bring them before the courts," Superintendent Gralton said.
Tuggerah Lakes Police District will continue to rollout ongoing high-visibility operations on a regular basis.
Anyone with information about serious crime is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
