Police crackdown on public shootings

POLICE kept Sydney's crims under their watchful eye over the weekend during a high visibility operation aimed to put the foot down on public shootings.

In total 14 people were arrested during Operation Apollo as officers from the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad were assisted by police from across the city as well as Strike Force Raptor targeting bikies, the Public Order and Riot Squad and the Police Dog Unit.

In excess of 150 police patrolled crime hot spots, stopped cars, visited licensed venues and did bail checks across the weekend operation.

Operation Apollo Commander Detective Chief Superintendent Mal Lanyon said the deployment was about making a presence on Sydney’s streets to drive down crime.

"This is about police being highly-visible; about stopping and speaking with people in key hotspots and putting pressure on those we suspect of criminal activity,” Detective Chief Superintendent Lanyon said.

"It was intelligence-driven, but also valuable in terms of gathering further intelligence to assist in our investigations and, of course, planning future operations.

Those arrested were charged with offences such as breach of bail, drug possession and drink driving, with a number of warnings also given for consorting while one person was arrested on a revocation of parole warrant.

A number of traffic infringements were also issued and a stolen car recovered.

 "The weekend’s activities complement the ongoing high-impact, proactive patrols being conducted by Operation Apollo, along with the intelligence and investigative strategies in place,” Detective Chief Superintendent Lanyon said.

Operation Apollo was established in February 2013 by the State Crime Command with assistance from metropolitan regions and local area commands to target gun and organised crime.

Since its inception more than 100 people have been arrested and charged with more than 220 offences with more than 60 firearms taken off the streets.

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US shootings feel like Groundhog Day

Emergency personnel are on the scene of a crash and shootout with a man police believe may have shot and killed Colorado prisons chief Tom Clements. Source: AP

WHILE you were sleeping there were more shootings in the US but Americans seem more upset that Punxsutawney Phil 'lied' about warmer weather.

The first of the shootings came as a US marine killed a male and female colleague before turning the gun on himself at the Marine Corp Base Quantico in North Virginia. It comes in the same week that a mortar shell exploded killing seven Marine Corp members.

Cars pass under a sign at the entrance to the main gate at Quantico Marine Corps Base. Source: AP

Then US police shot and killed a man they are hoping was responsible for the murder of prison chief Tom Clements at his home earlier in the week.  A 28-year-old, Evan Spencer Ebel, a parolee and alleged white supremacist member, was gravely wounded and later died after a shootout with police.

Colorado Department of Corrections shows paroled inmate Evan Spencer Ebel who is believed to have been killed in a shootout with police. Source: AP

Meanwhile the life of Punxsutawney Phil has also been threatened after incorrectly predicting an early spring. An Ohio prosecutor jokingly argues that the only remedy is probably the death penalty for the groundhog.

Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil climbs on the top hat of his handler. Source: AFP

In Scotland an anti-gay cardinal who resigned last month stating that his 'sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest' may have had a relationship with one of the priests accusing him of inappropriate sexual advances.

Former cardinal Keith O'Brien resigned in the wake of allegations of inappropriate behaviour. Source: AFP

Elsewhere, the Pistorius family will have a busy week in court next week as both Oscar and his older brother Carl have court hearings set, an 80-year-old Japanese man is planning his third trek up Mt Everest, 30 people have been killed in a refugee camp fire in Thailand, more than half a million people have signed a petition condemning the Maldives for plans to flog a 15-year-old rape victim and Croatian actor Ljubomir Jurkovic has accepted an undisclosed sum after a newspaper wrongly identified him as a Nazi.

Olympian Oscar Pistorius,with his brother, Carl, behind. Source: AP

In entertainment news, Matthew McConaughey says just because his mate Lance Armstrong lied for years about doping that it does not make him a liar, one TV star has admitted he has had talks to star in Fifty Shades of Grey and Joe Jonas has been forced to deny that he starred in his own real life version of Fifty Shades after rumours of a sex tape starring the singer and his model girlfriend surfaced.

Matthew McConaughey says Lance is no liar. Source: Getty Images

In sport, Michael Clarke leaves India today still carrying injuries and in doubt for the start of the Indian Premier League, London's Olympic Stadium is set to become the new home base for West Ham, Lewis Hamilton has already flagged that his Mercedes team is unlikely to be standing on the podium at the end of the Formula 1 champion and the doctor at the centre of the blood-doping scandal says Real Madrid owes him money, but he won't confirm what for.

 

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Two men charged over shootings

POLICE have arrested and charged two men in relation to shooting incidents following an operation in the Illawarra region and Sydney yesterday.

Officers attached to Operation Apollo, formed earlier this month to investigate and target gun crime, stopped a car in a street at Unanderra about 2.30pm yesterday.

The vehicle's male driver and was taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station.

The 35-year-old was subsequently charged with discharge firearm with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.

Police will allege he shot a man twice in the legs at Bass Hill on 9 February 2013.

Police further charged the man with fire at dwelling house, and will allege he discharged four rounds at a Winston Hills residence on 17 October 2012. Three people were inside the house at the time; no-one was injured.

The man was refused bail to face Wollongong Local Court today.

Operation Apollo investigators also arrested a second man in relation to the Bass Hill incident. This arrest took place at Parramatta Police Station yesterday.

The 26-year-old was charged with discharge firearm with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, and remanded in custody to face Parramatta Local Court today.

As part of the same operation, police also executed search warrants at addresses in Farmborough Heights,

Winston Hills, Birrong and Georges Hall. During the searches, officers seized documents, an amount of cash, and others items relevant to their investigation.

Meanwhile, Operation Apollo was also out in force during a three-day, proactive, high-impact operation in targeted areas of Sydney last week.

Police conducted this operation between 4pm on Thursday 14 February and 2am on Saturday 16 February 2013.
It involved 90 officers being tasked each day from the Central, South West and North West Metropolitan Regions; the Middle Eastern organised Crime Squad; The Gangs Squads Strike Force Raptor; the Public Order and Riot Squad; the Police Dog Unit; and the Police Air Wing.

During this operation, police:

*Seized seven firearms;
*Located and dismantled a clandestine drug laboratory;
*Conducted 285 person searches and 143 vehicle searches;
*Laid 32 criminal charges;
*Laid six traffic charges and issued 59 traffic infringement notices;
*Conducted 433 random breath tests and charged two people with drink driving.
 

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