As part of Operation Trinity, police have charged two teenagers following alleged back-to-back aggravated burglaries in Canterbury in the early hours of Monday morning.
It is alleged three offenders turned off the power and gained access to a property in Flinders Avenue at about 12am where they stole a car key and cash belonging to the elderly occupant who was home at the time.
The trio then allegedly attended another property on Winson Green Road where they again turned off the power and attempted to gain entry but were unsuccessful.
They allegedly walked to a nearby property on the same road and gained entry to the garage.
Police were alerted to their presence and were quickly on scene, arresting the three teens in the backyard of the home.
It is understood the offenders were allegedly located wearing masks and gloves.
Two 17-year-old boys from Wallan were charged with two counts of aggravated burglary, attempted aggravated burglary, theft and going equipped to steal.
One boy was bailed to appear at a children's court at a later date and the other boy was remanded in custody.
A 12-year-old Narre Warren boy was released and will be cautioned at a later date.
Victoria Police has been specifically targeting burglars and car thieves each night since March 2023.
Operation Trinity, which runs from dusk until dawn across Melbourne is easily Victoria Police's most well-resourced frontline policing operation at present.
On top of standard patrols, there are another 70 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 673 burglars and car thieves almost 1,550 times over the past year.
A further 7,350 people have been processed for other offences detected by police working nightshift across the Trinity area of operations.
Latest police intelligence indicates that up to 80% 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 us that if you lock your doors, your chances of falling victim dramatically decrease.
