Police, including officers from Operation Trinity, have charged a boy allegedly in possession of a stolen vehicle in Preston early hours this morning.
Officers caught sight of an allegedly stolen black Mazda CX3 near the intersection of Murray St Georges roads about 12.45am.
It's alleged that the vehicle turned right into High Street and hit a gutter, rendering the car immobile.
Three males allegedly took off on foot, dumping the Mazda.
The alleged driver of the vehicle, a 15-year-old boy, was arrested a short distance away.
Despite a thorough search of the area, police were unable to locate the remaining two males.
The boy was charged with theft of a motor vehicle.
He was bailed to appear before a children's court at a later date.
Investigators allege that the Mazda was stolen from a Moonee Ponds address in late January.
Victoria Police has a dedicated operation targeting burglars and car thieves from dusk to dawn across Melbourne.
On top of standard patrols, there are large numbers of additional police including members of the Dog Squad, Public Order Response and Air Wing, specifically tasked with preventing and responding to burglaries and car thefts each night.
As a result of this intense focus, police arrested 688 burglars and car thieves almost 1,650 times over the past year.
That equates to more than four burglars and car thieves arrested every single day.
Operation Trinity is Victoria Police's most well-resourced operation, with over 140,000 policing hours dedicated solely to this operation in 2024.
On top of this, the Air Wing spent well over a thousand hours in the sky last year tracking burglars and car thieves as part of Trinity.
Latest police intelligence indicates that as many as 90% of all aggravated burglaries in key hotspots are through unlocked doors/windows or unsuccessful attempts when the offender has discovered the property is locked.
As such, police implore the community to take simple steps such as locking all doors and windows on your home and car.
The data tells is undeniable - if you lock your doors, your chances of falling victim dramatically decrease.
Please use the below data for media requests seeking Operation Trinity arrest figures. These figures can also be added to briefings to support spokespeople.
Operation Trinity - 2024 calendar year
• 688 offenders arrested a combined 1,642 times in connection to aggravated burglaries where a car(s) was stolen. This includes arrests made on night shift, as well as follow up investigations.
• Arrests made in relation to 1,788 burglaries where cars were stolen.
• 65.4% of these arrests were related to child offenders aged between 10 - 17.
• 82.8% of these arrests were offenders aged under 25.
• All figures relate solely to Operation Trinity and its areas of operation, which include Boroondara/Manningham/Monash/Whitehorse, Dandenong/Casey/Cardinia, Kingston/Glen Eira/Bayside, Banyule/Darebin/Nillumbik/Whittlesea, Frankston/Mornington Peninsula, Stonnington/Port Phillip, Knox/Maroondah/Yarra Ranges.
