Police have charged 25 people and executed searches at 54 properties as part of a high-impact police operation targeting firearm-related violence in Sydney’s south-west.
Operation Clampdown was established to investigate public place shootings across the South West Metropolitan Region in August and September 2020.
Since the beginning of August 2020, 12 shootings – including five in public places – were reported in the South West Metropolitan Region.
As part of Operation Clampdown, officers from South West Metropolitan Region, assisted by State Crime Command, Operational Support Group, the Public Order and Riot Squad, Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, PolAir, and the Dog Unit, conducted 54 Firearm Prohibition Orders (FPO) searches at properties since the operation began on Thursday 3 September 2020. Seven vehicles were also searched.
The Minister for Police and Emergency Services, David Elliott, said Operation Clampdown has sent an unequivocal message to the perpetrators of this violence that no-one is above the law.
“Their reckless actions show a flagrant disregard for community safety and this Government will not tolerate this vigilante behaviour.
“For the past week police have sent a powerful message to any person that continues to flout the law – you can expect to be arrested and you will be put before the courts,” he said.
During the operation, police located 13 firearms including seven pistols, a homemade firearm, prohibited drugs, cash, an electronic stun device, knives, knuckle dusters, ammunition, a ballistic vest, 380 false credit cards, 101 mobile phones, and OMCG colours.
All items seized during the operation will undergo forensic examination.
In total, officers attached to Operation Clampdown have charged 25 people with 42 offences.
Among those charged was a 23-year-old man, who was arrested during a search warrant at a Bankstown home conducted by Campsie detectives on Friday (11 September 2020).
He was charged with shoot with intent to murder, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and breach of bail.
Police will allege in court that the man is one of a group involved in the shooting of a 29-year-old man at Lakemba at Monday 31 August 2020.
He was refused bail and appeared at Parramatta Bail Court, where he was formally refused bail and is next due to appear at Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday 10 November 2020.
Also of note was the arrest of two men, aged 28 and 22, at a home on Stella Street, Fairfield Heights, about 6.40am last Thursday (10 September 2020).
The arrests were made after detectives attached to Fairfield Police Area Command allegedly discovered prohibited weapons including, a ballistic vest, gel blaster pistol, replica pistol and a knife during a search of the property last week.
The older man was charged with two counts of possess unregistered firearm-pistol and the younger man was charged with possess a prohibited weapon without a permit.
They were granted conditional bail to appear at Fairfield Local Court on Wednesday 30 September 2020.
During a separate FPO search, a 39-year-old man was arrested after weapons and drugs were allegedly located at a home on Blair Avenue, East Hills, on Saturday (12 September 2020).
He was charged with nine offences including two counts of possess prohibited drug, two counts of possess prescribed restricted substance, supply prohibited drug (indictable quantity), supply prohibited drug (small quantity), possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit, use prohibited weapon contrary to prohibition order and goods in personal custody suspected being stolen.
He was refused bail and appeared at Bankstown Local Court on Monday (15 September 2020), where he was formally bail refused to reappear at the same court on Wednesday 28 October 2020.
Investigations under Operation Clampdown are continuing.
Police are urging anyone with information that may assist Operation Clampdown detectives to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page:
Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. We remind people they should not report crime information via our social media pages.
