A man has appeared in court today for DV and property-related offences, and is among four people charged during a high-visibility operation focused on preventing and disrupting crime in the state’s north.
Between Wednesday, January 29 and Thursday, January 30, officers attached to New England Police District, Public Order and Riot Squad and the Western Region Operation Response Group saturated Moree under Operation Surge, to proactively target alleged offenders.
Operation Surge is part of Operational Regional Mongoose, which focuses on young offenders who commit break and enter offences and steal motor vehicles.
About 10am on Thursday, emergency services were called to a home on Morton Street, Moree, following reports of a domestic violence incident.
Police will allege in court that a 45-year-old man assaulted a 42-year-old woman – who was known to him – inside the Morton Street residence.
The woman was taken by ambulance to Moree Hospital for treatment of a suspected arm fracture.
About 11am on Thursday, police arrested a 45-year-old man at a food outlet on Frome Street, Moree. He was taken to Moree Police Station, where he was charged with:
- Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (DV);
- Destroy or damage property (DV);
- Intentionally choke etc person without consent (DV);
- Common assault (DV); and
- Contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO (Domestic).
He was refused bail and appeared before Moree Local Court today, Friday, January 31, where he was formally refused bail to attend the same court on Friday, March 7, 2025.
As part of Operation Surge, police arrested and charged four people for a total of 12 offences, and conducted:
- 10 bail compliance checks;
- Eight person searches;
- Two search warrants; and
- Four firearm prohibition searches.
As a result of the firearm prohibition searches, incidents of note include:
- At about 8.30am on Thursday, January 30, police seized from a home in Chester Street, Moree, 21 cartons of illegal cigarettes and 25 packets of loose-leaf tobacco, which police believe is illegal tobacco that is unlawfully obtained.
- At about 10am on Thursday, January 30, police seized from a residence on Mehi Crescent, Moree, an allegedly stolen Polaris side-by-side utility vehicle valued at $12,000. Police believe the vehicle was taken from an agricultural store on Frome Street, Moree on Monday, January 27. Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
- At about 4pm on Wednesday, January 29, police seized an amount of cannabis and cultivated cannabis plants from a home on River Street, Moree.
Operation Surge will be continually rolled-out throughout the Western Region.
I congratulate the police for bringing this scum to justice. However it is the judges who let the system down.
How many times do we see these people on bail and still commit crimes.
I believe that if a judge doesn’t perform, sack them.