Operation Target, a four-week Mitchell Police Service Area initiative that concluded at the end of February, involved a crackdown on road-related offences across the shire.
Local Area Commander Inspector Anna Parkinson said the operation yielded exceptional results.
“The community response off the back of that operation was absolutely phenomenal, I think it really demonstrated to us that it (road-related offences) is a real, serious concern of the community, and so I think they were very appreciative to see some action,” Insp Parkinson said.
“While we’re always taking action, I think, in this operation, we made it a priority to get it out there in the media so that people could really see what we’re doing.”
Over the four weeks of Operation Target, Mitchell Service Area police intercepted 768 vehicles, conducted 2105 preliminary breath tests, impounded 21 vehicles, processed 118 offenders, issued 150 infringement notices, remanded two offenders and conducted 91 preliminary oral fluid tests.
Beyond the statistics was the social media reporting of the offences, with police posting many of the incidents to the Eyewatch - Mitchell Police Service Area Facebook page.
The success of keeping the community informed online has led to a consistent level of activity of the local police on the social media account.
“Unfortunately, we’re still seeing that kind of offending out on the roads, and we’re still posting on our social media when we make those detections,” Insp Parkinson said.
“We’re actively putting it out there so that the community is still reassured that we are still looking at our road policing and behaviours on the road.”
Insp Parkinson said the posting also worked to ensure the community was aware that people were cracking down on inappropriate behaviour on the region’s roads.
“I think it’s a good opportunity, for people who might consider taking that risk-taking behaviour on the roads, to say that we will catch you, and we will take the appropriate action to get you and your vehicle off the road,” Insp Parkinson said.
“It might be a good reminder, for community members who are on the verge of that risk-taking behaviour, to subtly remind them that the police are not going to put up with it, and neither is the community.”
While the social media presence hasn’t lessened, Mitchell Service Area police are preparing to revisit Operation Target.
The upcoming results of a statewide community sentiment survey, in which Insp Parkinson said the Mitchell region had one of the highest uptakes in completion, is set to inform how subsequent targeted initiatives will pan out.
“We’ll get some good results out of that (the survey), which will really hone in what the community sees as their issues, and then we’ll work out planning and operations around that information,” Insp Parkinson said.
“We are planning another operation in the future.
“We’re still in the planning phase of what that looks like, we’ll look at a lot of data and take feedback from the community as to how that will look.”
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