GLEN Waverley’s police Embona Taskforce was commended last Thursday for excellent results in fighting crime.
Region 4 Assistant Commissioner Kieran Walshe, presented commendation awards to the officers at Manningham Council.
Detective Inspector Ray McLeod-Dryden said the awards were well-deserved – particularly for Detective Sergeant Tony Carr, who has worked with the unit since October 1998.
“I helped set up the task force, and Tony’s crew has been one of the most successful teams since then,” Inspector McLeod-Dryden said.
“Unit citation recognizes all members who have been attached to the task force during that period. Their performance has been excellent.
“They have achieved high standards, especially in investigating a robbery and armed robbery.”
He said the task force had laid 392 charges and investigated 2974 offenses since it began.
It has also been responsible for numerous charges against serial offenders, with some alleged to have committed up to 20-30 robberies.
Inspector McLeod-Dryden said the taskforce’s work involved long and arduous hours and frequent night calls.
“It is a hard slog to clean up a lot of our crime. Offenders often cross regional boundaries so [members] need to liaise a lot with other regions.
“Where Tony is, in Glen Waverley and Number Two Division, it is one of the unfortunate areas where most offenders don’t actually live in our area – they spread far and wide.
“A lot of crimes recorded are drug-related and it is hard for us to track down people who are driven by drugs.”
