Call for super sleuths

POLICE have asked residents to do some detective work of their own in a bid to stop the rising number of local crimes associated with the theft of numberplates.
Detective Sergeant Garry Kear of Narre Warren CIU this week encouraged residents to look at the registration stickers of cars if they noticed any suspicious activity.
He said police were obviously not suggesting that people compromise their own safety but where possible taking down registration details from the windscreen of cars could prove very useful to police.
Det Sgt Kear said witnesses of crimes often forwarded number plate details to police which later turned out to be from a stolen vehicle and did not match the vehicle involved in the incident.
He said police officers had a better chance of apprehending people if they had the correct registration details.
His comments came just weeks after a new police operation was launched to combat the theft of numberplates in the City of Casey.
The five-week trial, dubbed Operation Safe Plate, has local police and service station owners excited at the prospect of minimising petrol drive-off crimes in Casey.
The operation will see a newly designed screw, designed to deter number plate thieves, attached to cars.
Police will be fitting the anti-theft screws to numberplates in several locations through out the city.
Motorists can head to Narre Warren train station on 11, 12 and 13 September and Hallam train station on 2, 3, 4 October from 9.30am to have the screws fitted.
Police will also be at Merinda Park train station on 9, 10 and 11 October and Berwick train station on 16, 17 and 18 October.