Drugs allegedly found in vehicle
Moama police allegedly discovered an amount of cannabis seeds, methamphetamine and a white powder-like substance in the boot of a vehicle at 1pm on August 23.
Police intercepted the vehicle, which contained two passengers, on the Cobb Hwy, Mathoura.
Inspector Paul Huggett of the Murray River Police District said that both occupants of the vehicle denied ownership of the drugs.
“The investigation is ongoing,” Insp Huggett said.
Crime spike in Mathoura
Inspector Paul Huggett of the Murray River Police District is again reminding people to be aware of a small crime spike in the Mathoura area.
Insp Huggett said there were a number of investigations ongoing, which is why it was important that the community reported all incidents of crime to the police.
“We will continue to investigate, process and charge or until it ends up in the courts,” he said.
“In the meantime, we’re calling on all residents in Mathoura to be vigilant and to secure their premises.”
Operation Stock Check relaunches
The Rural Crime Prevention Team has relaunched Operation Stock Check, an ongoing and proactive operation to prevent livestock theft in NSW.
Initially launched in August 2020, Operation Stock Check allows officers of all ranks to inspect vehicles carrying livestock in order to identify loads that may have been stolen.
NSW police announced that more than $8.5 million worth of cattle and sheep were reported stolen in the past two years.
Deputy Premier and Police Minister Paul Toole said 10 additional rural crime investigators had been allocated to help disrupt the illegal transportation of livestock.
“We have more than doubled our Rural Crime Prevention Team over the past five years and now have 63 specialist investigators stationed across the state,” he said.
“While rural crimes like stock theft may not dominate the headlines, they are a huge kick in the guts to our hard-working farmers and their families, and can potentially cripple entire livelihoods.”
NSW rural crime co-ordinator Detective Chief Inspector Cameron Whiteside said they were urging livestock carriers and farmers to ensure livestock documentation was complete and accurate as there would be an increase in vehicle checks.
“Operation Stock Check isn’t about targeting truck drivers, it’s about ensuring carriers and farmers are making the appropriate checks; including that the animals are fit to load so that when you are pulled over by police it is a simple check and you can go on your way,” Det Chief Insp Whiteside said.
Unsafe2safe initiative rolls out in Victoria
Up to 1000 young regional Victorians will receive a $5000 subsidy to purchase a newer, safer vehicle, under a new initiative called unsafe2safe.
The Victorian Government stated in a media release that it had launched this initiative because younger drivers in regional Victoria were “15 times more likely to be killed in crashes involving older vehicles than the state average”.
As part of the initiative, qualifying participants will need to trade in their existing older and unsafe vehicle for a safer one.
Vehicles that are traded in will be scrapped, and are not able to be transferred to another person.
For more information visit https://engage.vic.gov.au/unsafe2safe or you can check the safety rating of your vehicle by visiting https://howsafeisyourcar.com.au