Victoria’s VIPER Taskforce is here to stay, following two years of operations, resulting in more than 1,000 arrests.
The unit combines police from all specialist roles, including general duties, Highway Patrol and detectives, targeting bikie gangs, youth gangs and Middle East Crime Groups.
Police say part of the success is being able to send members to regional Victoria, including Geelong, at short notice.
VIPER were sent to Geelong in February 2023, focussing on bikie members and associates.
Officers conducted firearm prohibition order compliance searches.
Forty offenders were processed in the city for various offences.
Detective Inspector Craig Darlow said VIPER was also working alongside Taskforce Lunar to target organised crime syndicates involved in illicit tobacco sales.
“We’ve also seen high number of arrests and seizures during regional deployments where we work hand in hand with local police or interstate law enforcement,” he said.
“It has been about coming together to clinically and methodically target these groups regardless of what level or type of criminality they are involved in.
“That is one of the key reasons for VIPER’s success – our policing practitioners will collaborate and identify every opportunity to target criminals through a variety of investigative options.”
