Police Recover 26 Stolen Cars and 130 False Number Plates

Police in Melbourne’s north have recovered dozens of stolen vehicles and 130 false number plates as part of a targeted operation.

Utilising automatic number-plate recognition technology (ANPR), officers from Operation Boston scanned almost 120,000 vehicles in the Merri-bek area to check their status – instantly providing registration information.

The efforts have resulted in police recovering 26 stolen cars, along with the fake or stolen number plates.

Melbourne has been suffering through a recent epidemic of home invasions and stolen vehicles, with youth gangs putting lives at risk by joy-riding at high speeds on freeways at all times of the day and night.

The Victorian Government has been criticised for not doing enough to quell the thefts, prompting the premier to call for a review into bail laws in recent days.

Police say more than 33 per cent of the stolen cars showed no signs of forced entry, prompting authorities to remind the community to keep their vehicles locked at all times, and to ensure valuables are removed.

“Using ANPR technology means we can scan vehicles at a rapid rate. We can identify a stolen car or unlicensed driver in a matter of seconds,” Local Area Commander Inspector Andrew Markarkis said.

“It’s already assisted in recovering 26 stolen cars, and nearly 130 false number plates. We’ve made several arrests and we have more closely in our sights.”