1. The police have a catchy acronym. They’re also announcing the chrimbo crackdown on partying drivers. Just remember it’s the one time of the year you could get done on a back street:
- ACT Policing has joined forces with NSW Police to launch this year’s Remove All Impaired Drivers (RAID) campaign in the ACT. It follows yesterday’s national launch in Victoria – the state responsible for overseeing this year’s event – at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The operation runs from today, November 21 through to Saturday, December 13 and is Australia’s biggest traffic operation, bringing together police from seven states and territories.
Last year over 320,000 random breath tests were conducted during the operation – almost the entire population of the ACT.
This year police from Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland Police will be involved in Operation RAID for the first time, joining police in the ACT, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia to target those drivers taking a risk on our roads.
The operation is specifically timed to target motorists in the lead up to the busy holiday period, traditionally a time where alcohol consumption increases and more motorists travel between the states.
ACT Policing’s Traffic Superintendent Mark Colbran said motorists who chose to drink then drive represented a significant risk to the community.
“Operation RAID detects those impaired drivers on our roads but also aims to deter them from taking that risk in the first place.
“By removing alcohol affected drivers from our roads, overall community safety is improved and the potential for serious or fatal accidents is greatly reduced.
“This year motorists will see more police than ever, no matter where they are from or where they are going, from Perth to Sydney, Darwin to Canberra, you will be caught if you choose to break the law,” Supt Colbran said.
At specific times during the three-week operation, police will combine their efforts for border ‘lockdowns’, in which all motorists travelling across state and territory borders will be subject to random breath tests. A number of other operations designed to target drink driving will also be carried out across the states and territories as part of the overall Operation RAID.
In the ACT during Operation RAID in 2007, 6504 Random Breath Tests (RBT) were conducted, with 118 drivers caught drink driving. A range of other traffic offences were also detected in the ACT during the operation including 412 people caught speeding, 46 seatbelt offences, 18 people caught driving whilst suspended / disqualified / unlicensed and another 328 miscellaneous traffic infringements were issued.
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2. Making up for lost time… they’ve published Wednesday’s call for help for a lost Wanniassa man:
- ACT Policing is seeking community assistance in locating a 29-year-old Wanniassa man who was last seen on London Circuit, Civic yesterday (November 18) around 8.30am.
The missing man is described as 180cm (5’11”) tall, of medium build, with short brown hair, wearing a white shirt, a short black jacket, black pants and black shoes.
Police are concerned for the man’s welfare as his disappearance is out of character.
Police would urge anyone who may have seen the missing man, or may have information which could assist police in locating him to contact Police Operations on 131-444.
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3. And here are details from Wednesday’s alleged killing plot:
- ACT Policing has charged five males after an assault on a 17-year-old Greenway youth early yesterday (November 18).
Police have charged two of the five – an 18-year-old Calwell man and a 17-year-old youth from Oxley – with acts endangering life.
The remaining three – a 19-year-old from Curtin, a 17-year-old from Gowrie, and an 18-year-old Kambah man – have been charged with aiding and abetting acts endangering life.
The charges follow from an incident yesterday around 3.15am when it will be alleged that the victim had been lured from his home and assaulted with a baseball bat, despite attempting to flee the offenders. Police apprehended the alleged offenders after a general duties patrol performed a traffic stop on a black Holden Commodore in Bonython shortly after the offence was reported.
Police have recovered a baseball bat suspected to have been used in the offence.
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4. A Mitchell garden centre was knocked over on Tuesday:
- ACT Policing is investigating an armed robbery in Mitchell this afternoon (November 18).
Around 2.40pm police were called to a garden centre following reports from a member of the public of an armed robbery in progress. When police arrived the two male offenders had already left the scene with a small sum of cash.
One of the male offenders is described as aged in his early 20s, with a slim build, an olive complexion, facial stubble, dark hair and wearing a black T-shirt, black track-suit pants and running shoes.
The other male offender is also described as aged in his early 20s, with a muscular build, a fair complexion, light-coloured close-cropped hair and wearing light-coloured clothing. It is also believed he was carrying a small firearm.
Police extensively searched the immediate area but were unable to locate the two males. AFP Forensic Services are attending the scene.
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If you can help police contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report via the website at www.act.crimestoppers.com.au.