In brief
Victoria Police announced that Operation Phoenix will be expanded across Melbourne, with officers conducting dedicated overnight patrols and targeting known offenders in high‑risk areas. The expansion, effective from Sunday, merges resources with an ongoing burglary and vehicle‑theft operation that has already secured over 5,800 arrests. Police remain concerned about the exploitation of young people and the risk posed by arson and shootings.
Victoria Police on Friday announced that it will broaden Operation Phoenix – a citywide counter‑crime effort that started in July – to cover all of Melbourne. Beginning Sunday, officers will conduct dedicated overnight patrols and proactive interventions aimed at shootings, arson attacks and organised‑crime related offending. The move follows the operation’s first‑phase success, which saw more than 230 arrests linked to organised crime and extortion.
The operation was initially launched to target extortion‑related arson, drive‑by shootings and “crime‑as‑a‑service” activities in the northwest suburbs. Police said those early actions already produced a significant share of the overall arrest tally, with the operation’s investigators describing the work as “targeted” and focused on high‑risk zones.
Under the expansion, patrols will shift from the northwest to the city’s central business district and the southern and eastern suburbs. Officers will “saturate” those areas, meaning continuous coverage during hours when serious crime peaks, according to police language.
The expanded effort will also draw on a separate, longer‑running operation that tackles aggravated burglaries and vehicle‑theft. That programme has made more than 5,800 arrests since the beginning of 2023, a figure that police released to illustrate how the resources will be shared.
Victoria Police are “concerned by the increasing exploitation of young offenders” to carry out violent crimes on behalf of others, the department said. They said arson is now used as a tool to intimidate, influence and exert control, especially within organised criminal networks.
Police also warned that the incidents tracked by Operation Phoenix pose “significant risks” to the broader community. The department stressed that while a large proportion of the offending is targeted and directed, the threat level remains high when it extends beyond the immediately affected neighbourhoods.
Criminal‑justice data released by the police shows that the coordinated approach—combining shootings, arson and property‑crime resources—has already led to more than 230 arrests in the first phase. The expanded operation is expected to add thousands of new focus points for officers across the metropolitan area.
An ABC news piece, published seven hours ago, echoed the Xinhua report but was not accessible for further detail. It confirmed the citywide expansion and spoke of the operation’s success in cracking down on organised crime gangs. No additional facts were provided beyond the initial announcement.
Both authorities have highlighted that the effectiveness of the expansion remains unmeasured. The police have not yet released projections for how many new arrests or incidents of arson and shootings might be reduced. Social‑impact data regarding community safety levels in the newly targeted suburbs is also still pending. The outcomes of this multi‑timeline policing strategy were not yet known, and future updates are awaited to clarify the long‑term success of Operation Phoenix.
