Hastings, Mornington Peninsula – A 30-year-old man has been arrested and charged by Victoria Police after allegedly recruiting children in a wave of vehicle-related thefts and burglaries across the Mornington Peninsula.
Arrest and Charges
Detectives from the Mornington Peninsula Crime Investigation Unit arrested the man at a Hastings residence on Monday, 18 August 2025. He now faces 29 charges, including:
- Recruiting a child to engage in criminal activity (3 counts)
- Supplying a drug of dependence to a child (3 counts)
- Possession of methylamphetamine
- Burglary, theft, theft of motor vehicle (2 counts), theft from motor vehicle (4 counts), attempted theft from motor vehicle
- Handling stolen goods (2 counts), dealing in property suspected as proceeds of crime, criminal damage
- Commit indictable offence whilst on bail (6 counts), contravene conduct condition of bail (2 counts), and resist police officer
Crime Locations and Timeline
Police allege the offences occurred between 8 and 14 August 2025, spanning several Mornington Peninsula communities, including Mount Eliza, Mornington, Mount Martha, Bittern and Somers.
Court and Custody
The accused has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear before the Frankston Magistrates’ Court on 4 September 2025.
Context & Significance
The case comes amid a broader surge in youth-involved property offences across the Mornington Peninsula. According to the Crime Statistics Agency, in 2024 the region recorded a 40 per cent increase in thefts from vehicles and a 34 per cent rise in burglaries, contributing to a 28.3 per cent overall increase in crime.
Victoria Police has been running Operation Trinity, the state’s largest youth crime suppression initiative, which has led to 688 arrests across 1,642 incidents. Many of these involved stolen or tampered vehicles in early morning hours, with the Mornington Peninsula identified as a key hotspot.
So the police made 688 youth crime arrests. How many were bailed? How many were repeat offenders?
If the law doesn’t lock this b*stard up and for many, many years, I absolutely will give up on this once beautiful country!!!! ?. It is so sad that we even have such a thought!