Category: Hume Travel Radio Network

Police are appealing for drivers to take responsibility for their actions while behind the wheel, after a number of alleged PCA offences have been detected in The Hume Local Area Command this year.

This year, 25 drivers have been charged over alleged PCA offences in the Crookwell Cluster, which includes Bigga, Taralga, and Tuena Police Districts.

Detective Acting Superintendent Chad Gillies, Commander of The Hume Local Area Command reminds motorists they can be breath-tested at any time on the roads.

“Police will continue to be out in force, catching those who choose to put themselves and other road users at risk by driving under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs,” Acting Superintendent Gillies said.

“Driving is a privilege and a responsibility that cannot be taken lightly; it’s a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed if local motorists continue to break the law.

“Those caught driving under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs face heavy fines, loss of licence, time behind bars, or all three.

“No matter whether you’re driving in the city streets or on rural roads, you will be caught.

“No one wants to lose a friend, brother, sister, mother, father or child. Plan before you go out and have a plan B,” he said.

Officers attached to The Hume Local Area Command will continue operations around the district in marked and unmarked police vehicles, at any time during the day and night.

Detectives attached to The Hume Local Area Command uHHare appealing for information following an alleged sexual assault incident in the Wallaroo area, near the NSW/ACT border, earlier this month.

Between 2.30pm and 3.30pm on Wednesday 16 September 2015, it is alleged a 22-year-old man sexually assaulted a 24-year-old woman while stopped in a white Holden Colorado utility on Gooromon Ponds Road.

It will be alleged the man then drove the woman to Wallaroo Road, shortly before the Barton Highway, where he stopped and further assaulted her.

During this time, it’s believed a small black car bearing red ‘P’ plates drove past the Holden slowly.

A short time later, a dark green sedan also drove past the Holden.

The woman attempted to gain the attention of both drivers; however was unable to. The man then drove from the scene.

Officers attached to The Hume Local Area Command were alerted of the incident and commenced investigations.

Following inquiries, a 22-year-old man was arrested in the ACT on 18 September 2015, and extradited to NSW.

He has been charged with one count of aggravated sexual assault and one count of detain person for advantage. He will appear at Goulburn Local Court on Friday 25 September 2015.

Police continue their inquiries into the incident and are appealing for information.

Specifically, they would like to speak to the drivers of the black and dark green car which drove past the Holden, as well as anyone who may have been in the Wallaroo area between 2.30pm and 3.30pm on Wednesday 16 September.

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers or Yass Police Station on 02 6226 9399.

The man and woman are known to each other.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a shot was fired through the front window of a home in the Riverina this morning.

About 1.30am (Wednesday 23 September 2015), two women – aged 25 and 28 – and two men – aged 32 and 37 – were at a home on Townsend Place, Mount Austin, when the power went out.

A short time later, a shot was fired through the front window. No one was injured.

Police from Wagga Wagga Local Area Command attended and conducted an extensive search of the area; however, no one was located.

A crime scene was established at the home and examined by specialist forensic officers.

It is believed the incident is targeted.

Detectives are appealing for information and, in particular, they would like to speak with a man they believe may be able to assist with their inquiries.

He is described as being of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, about 175cm tall, of medium build, with short black hair and unshaven.

A MAN stole a taxi and led police on a high-speed pursuit of up to 185km/h along the busy Hume Highway while driving unlicensed, police allege.

Officers began pursuing a taxi along the highway at Albury about 8.30am Saturday, following reports the Toyota sedan had been stolen from a petrol station in Tarneit, Victoria, earlier that day.

Police terminated the pursuit when the vehicle allegedly reached speeds of up to 185km/h. Officers re-engaged the pursuit about 10km from Tarcutta, after road spikes were deployed.

The 35-year-old male driver got out of the car and tried to carjack a Toyota Landcruiser before being arrested, police report. Checks revealed his Victorian driver’s license had expired.

He was charged at Wagga police station with two counts of police pursuit, two counts of never licensed person drive vehicle on road, assault with intent to take motor vehicle, and receive property stolen outside NSW. The Victorian man will front Wagga Local Court on Monday.

A MOTORCYCLE rider has been seriously injured after crashing his bike at high speed on the Hume Highway in one of several weekend accidents.

Police believe the 62-year-old Melbourne man’s safety gear protected him from more serious injuries as he slid about 60 metres along the road.

He had been travelling south near Chiltern with two other riders about 8am.

A car in front of the group swerved to avoid a dead kangaroo on the road but the man was unable to swerve in time.

His bike struck the kangaroo and he fell off a slid, and his bike travelled about 130 metres.

He was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to Albury Hospital with serious injuries.

Leading Senior Constable Brian Tyler said the man would have been travelling at close to 110km/h when he struck the animal.

“He wouldn’t have had time to swerve,” he said.

“He was doing everything right and it shows why you have to be alert while riding a motorbike.

“The protective equipment has definitely saved him from more serious injuries.”

Leading Senior Constable Tyler said truck drivers often hit kangaroos and left the carcasses on the road.

It was difficult to stop and move the dead animals off the highway, especially at night, he said.

The crash was one of at least four accidents in the region on Sunday, with a utility badly damaged in Wodonga, a four-wheel-drive rollover at Yackandandah and another motorbike crash in Bogong.

Leading Senior Constable Tyler said the Wodonga crash had been caused by inattention.

An 18-year-old Yackandandah man crashed into a car turning right from Parkers Road in Niblick Street about 11.30am, which in turn struck a car in front of it.

All three cars were damaged, and the 18-year-old’s utility was written off.

He will be issued a penalty notice for failing to keep a sufficient distance between vehicles.

“People need to be 100 per cent concentrating when they’re on the road,” Leading Senior Constable Tyler said.

“There is no place for lapses in concentration or inattention, because things like this happen.

‘We’re lucky today that there are no serious injuries and everyone gets to go home.”

NSW Police together with Roads and Maritime Services conducted an operation targeting the safety of heavy vehicles travelling through the Tumut area.

The operation commenced at 7am yesterday (Wednesday 16 September 2015) and saw police and RMS officers intercept 252 heavy vehicles in a 24 hour period.

During the operation, 12 major and 93 minor defect notices were issued, along with infringements for offences such as failing to complete work diaries, substantial risk load restraint, and working to many hours (14.5 in 24).

Police also issued a summons to a driver for having custody of a knife.

A total of 22 drug tests were completed with no positive results.

Acting Assistant Commissioner David Driver said that Traffic & Highway Patrol Command and NSW Roads and Maritime heavy vehicle enforcement & compliance partnership is starting to see significant results.

“With recent figures from Operation Austrans, which was a national heavy vehicle operation coordinated jointly by Police & RMS, defects and other non compliance had trended down for the first time this year, which was positive for the industry.”

“However, some key risks in terms of speed tampering & drug use by long distance drivers had in fact trended up, which will be a continuing focus for the Police & RMS into the future.”

“Those drivers, operators, owners, and linehaul customers that are placing risks on our roads know full well our capabilities, which is evidenced in Court outcomes after heavy vehicle related fatalities on our roads.”

“With 63% of Australia’s road freight passing through NSW at any one time, safety should be a priority for the industry, and with the RMS, Police will continue to enforce road safety for the benefit of all road users.”

The Director Safety and Compliance Peter Wells said Roads and Maritime’s continued enforcement operations alongside NSW Police is helping to change industry cultures and we are now seeing a more professional approach across the board.

“The vast majority of industry in NSW have worked hard to reach high levels of compliance to ensure safer roads for the community and a safer industry for heavy vehicle drivers,” said Mr Wells.

“Public safety is paramount and this operation send another strong message to all heavy vehicle operators that unsafe practices will not be tolerated,” He said.

Two men and a woman will appear in court charged with numerous drug related offences following the execution of two search warrants in Goulburn today.

Strike Force SCHLAM, comprising detectives from The Hume Local Area Command, was established in May 2015 to investigate the supply of illicit drugs in the Goulburn township.

As part of their investigations, police stopped a vehicle stop in Verner Street, Goulburn, where a 42-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were arrested over the possession of a replica pistol.

About 9.20am today (Thursday 17 September 2015), inquiries lead police to execute two search warrants at premises in Lorne Street and Furner Street, resulting in the seizure of a small amount of drugs believed to be methamphetamine, items and equipment used in the supply of prohibited drugs and a large sum of cash.

A woman and two men were arrested and taken to Goulburn Police Station where the 23 year old man from Lorne Street was charged with supply prohibited drug (methamphetamine) (x21).

He was refused bail to appear at Goulburn Local Court tomorrow (Friday 18 September 2015).

The 31-year-old man from Furner Street was charged with supply prohibited drug (methamphetamine) (x6), supply prohibited drug (cannabis) (x6), possess prohibited drug (x2), deal with proceeds of crime and organising a drug premises.

He was refused bail to appear at Goulburn Local Court tomorrow (Friday 18 September 2015).

The 23-year-old woman from Furner Street was charged with deal with proceeds of crime.

She was granted conditional bail to appear at Goulburn Local Court on Wednesday 7 October 2015.

Strike Force SCHLAM will continue their investigations into drug related crime and are expecting further arrests to be made.

Eight vehicles were damaged on the Hume Highway on Thursday evening when a cow ventured out into traffic.

The cow was grazing on the side of the road before it stepped out into traffic at 8pm where it was hit by a prime mover at 100km/h.

It was thrown under the truck and tumbled into other vehicles.

One car hit the cow and swerved off the road where it hit trees on the side of the road.

A further five cars and another prime mover hit the cow, which caused varying levels of damage.

The cow died at the scene and there was some disruption to traffic as a number of cars and one of the prime movers needed to be towed away.

No brandings or marks could be found on the cow to identify its owner.

Inspector Shawn Baker from Camden Police said wildlife on local roads had been a problem for a long, long time.

“When you’re driving on semirural roads you need to watch out for wildlife,” he said.

“People need to be aware.”

PolAir have led police to a disqualified motorcycle rider who was allegedly drug-driving and rode off from Highway Patrol in state’s south yesterday.

About 4.50pm (Saturday 12 September 2015), officers from Traffic and Highway Patrol Command were patrolling Red Hill Road, Wagga Wagga, when they noticed a Kawasaki trail bike on the pedestrian/bicycle path.

Police attempted to stop the bike, but the rider conducted a u-turn and drove off.

Officers from Wagga Wagga Local Area Command on the ground were advised PolAir was overhead and following the Kawasaki.

PolAir guided officers to Dalman Parkway, Glenfield Park, and the 22-year-old male rider was arrested without incident.

A subsequent check of the rider’s licence revealed it is disqualified until 2026, and the Kawasaki was unregistered and uninsured.

He was subjected to a breath test and returned a negative reading, and then subjected to a random drug test and allegedly returned a positive reading.

Following further testing, he allegedly returned a positive reading for methamphetamines and cannabis. Samples of the positive readings have been sent for further examinations, and inquiries are continuing.

During a subsequent search of the man, officers allegedly located and seized a substance, believed to be crystal methylamphetamine (‘ICE’).

The man was taken to Wagga Wagga Police Station and charged with two counts of not-stop police pursuit (Skye’s Law), drive while disqualified, drive unregistered vehicle, drive uninsured vehicle and possess prohibited drug.

He has been refused bail and is due to appear at Wagga Wagga Local Court later today (Sunday 13 September 2015).