A major police operation across NSW has resulted in the seizure of knives and other offences being detected.
Operation Foil ran from 1pm Thursday 11 April 2024 until 1:30am Saturday 13 April 2024, and saw more than 800 officers from every Police Area Command and Police District in NSW, assisted by specialist officers from Youth Command, Police Transport and Public Safety Command and Traffic and Highway Patrol Command target knife crime and anti-social behaviour.
During the high visibility operation 51 knives / weapons were seized with 145 people charged with weapon related offences, including seizure of a firearm.
Additionally, police detected a number of breaches, including: 51 people arrested over outstanding warrants, 170 drug detections, 1,065 traffic infringement notices issued, and 410 rail infringement notices issued.
Police also performed almost 5000 random breath tests and 469 bail compliance checks.
Operation Pivot was also run in conjunction with Operation Foil, and is an initiative to reduce crime through early intervention and engagement with young people.
Since it began in 2021, Operation Pivot has seen police engage with more than 3200 at risk youths across NSW, and deliver anti-violence presentations to 987 schools, educating more than 180,000 students.
Detective Superintendent Darren Newman, Operations Manager North-West Metropolitan Region said the aim of Operation Foil was to remove weapons from the streets and make the community safer.
“Operation Foil was established to focus on knife crime and to get these dangerous weapons out of the hands of those individuals who may potentially use them to target other people,” said Darren Newman.
“People need to understand that carrying a knife is illegal unless you have a justifiable reason. If you are armed with a knife and become involved in an altercation where someone is injured or even killed, you can face a substantial prison sentence.”
“We have also been working with our colleagues from Youth Command as part of Operation Pivot in attending schools and speaking with kids to deter them away from knife crime.”
“Operations of this nature will continue to be run by police,” said Superintendent Newman.
Incidents of note include:
About 3pm on Thursday 11 April 2024, officers from Bankstown Police Transport Command spoke with a 33-year-old man at a bus interchange at Bankstown for smoking a cigarette in a restricted area. Inquires revealed the man was also the subject of a Firearms Prohibition Order. A search of the man allegedly located a pistol in a bag he was carrying. He was arrested and taken to Bankstown Police Station where he was charged with possess unauthorised firearm, acquire etc firearm – subject to prohibition order and smoke in or on public passenger vehicle, train, public area. He was refused bail to appear at Bankstown Local Court on Friday 12 April 2024.
Officers from Murray River Police District arrested a woman in a carpark on Young Street, Albury, about 5pm on Thursday 11 April 2024. It will be alleged that police located in the woman’s handbag two knives and a large quantity of drugs. The 36-year-old was conveyed to Albury Police Station and charged with two counts of custody of knife in public place, possess prohibited drug and supply prohibited drug >indictable &
A 49-year-old man was arrested by officers from the Northern Beaches Proactive Crime Team at a unit on Nicholson Street, Wollstonecraft, at 5pm on Friday 12 April 2024 for four outstanding warrants. It will be alleged that when arrested he was in possession of a small amount of methylamphetamine. He was taken to Chatswood Police Station and charged with the outstanding warrants and possess prohibited drug where he was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Saturday 13 April 2024.
Anyone with information about this incident 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.
