Police have been patrolling the region’s borders looking for metropolitan drivers breaching the chief health officer’s stay-at-home directions.
Sergeant Mark Stephenson of the Macedon Ranges Highway Patrol said his team was coming across a number of people from Melbourne metro areas.
“A large number of people appear to meet the exemption criteria but there has been a small number issued warnings for inadvertent breaches,” Sgt Stephenson said.
“We educate the public, give them a warning and turn them around.”
As part of Operation Sentinel, the local highway patrol is being supported by units from the northwest metropolitan region with Victoria Police deploying 200 officers to regional fringe areas for the operation.
“Our focus is to ensure people from Melbourne do not travel to regional Victoria unless they have an exemption to do so,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.
“Roving patrols are saturating the regional borders instead of using fixed checkpoints. This model has worked exceptionally well along the state border and gives us the flexibility to patrol main arterials and back roads.
“We know it is usually only the people doing the right thing who travel on the main roads – those trying to sneak out of Melbourne usually drive through the back roads – so this enforcement approach allows us to patrol both areas.
“It also means there aren’t significant traffic delays that people living in the border and travelling through Melbourne for work or school were caught up in when we had fixed checkpoints.”
By using automatic number-plate recognition technology, officers can quickly see if someone is from Melbourne or regional Victoria and through this intel-led approach they are generally only intercepting people from Melbourne.
“And even if people do find a way to get across the border, our regional police officers will continue to intercept vehicles in their local communities,” the spokesperson said.
“They are the eyes and ears of the town and if they see what looks like an influx of tourists, you can expect to be asked why you are there and not at home.”
Anyone caught deliberately ignoring chief health officer directions will be fined. And like last time, it is a very costly fine if someone is caught in regional Victoria without an exemption – $5452.
