General News
25 July, 2025
Operation Shelter extended as youth crime investigations continue
Operation Shelter, initiated by Horsham Police, has been extended past the school holidays and will continue into August.
Increased patrols remain vigilant as investigations into reports involving youth continue.
The program was initially intended to run during the July school holidays.
Still, police announced this week it had been extended due to ongoing investigations into the recent spate of crime in Horsham.
Acting Inspector Eddie Malpas said five search warrants were conducted and 13 arrests were made.
"Targeted patrols continue in key areas across Horsham," he said.
"We’re aware of recent incidents involving young people, including alleged public assaults, which have understandably caused concern within the community.
"We’ve spoken with the parents and guardians of those involved and are providing support and connecting them with local support services."
Act Insp Malpas said he wanted to assure the public that most young people in Horsham were respectful, responsible, and contributed positively to our community.
"Children make up just seven per cent of all crime in the area, with the majority of offending committed by adults," he said.
"We’re asking parents and community members to report any concerning behaviour to police.
"The earlier we know about an issue, the sooner we can investigate the matter and take action."
Act Insp Malpas said that youth offending was complex, and the police cannot address it alone.
"That’s why we continue to work closely with schools, families, and youth services to guide young people in the right direction," he said.
"The Horsham community can expect to continue seeing police on patrol in key areas around Horsham, including at the schools.
"These patrols present great opportunities for our police to interact with the community and, likewise, provide the community the chance to speak to our officers.
"We are committed to ensuring that the people of Horsham are not only kept safe, but that they feel safe as well.
"Operation Shelter was initially commenced for the school holiday period; however, whilst we progress ongoing investigations and undertake more work around our operational and reassurance tasking, the operation will continue through August."
The Horsham Rural City Council acknowledged that several CCTV cameras in the CBD are not functional.
Unfortunately, many of these installations have been funded over time by external grant funding, which has not included funding for ongoing maintenance and upgrades.
Due to technological advancements, the costs associated with maintenance and upgrades is significant.
A council spokesperson said a comprehensive review of the HRCC CCTV infrastructure was underway.
"The review will help provide data to understand the requirements and costs involved with managing the network and help identify longer-term solutions to address ageing infrastructure, plus any potential changes to requirements since the installation of the original system," the spokesperson said.
"It will also assist HRCC in any advocacy to government that may be needed to help support upgrades to the system."
While this work is underway, the spokesperson said the council would continue to address issues relating to the current cameras where possible, to maintain coverage in the CBD.
The council allocated $50,000 in the 2024-2025 budget and another $50,000 in the 2025-2026 budget for the maintenance and monitoring of CCTV.
The council encouraged business owners to install security cameras, as these can help act as a deterrent and contribute to the management of criminal activity.
Moes Mexican Bar and Grill owner, Ash Wilmot, said that since their premises were damaged, the community response was endearing.
“We had a lot of people reach out,” he said.
“People were reaching out... to see if they could help with anything.
“The community has been good to us, and we had a lot of comments on our page.”
Mr Wilmot also praised the quick response from Horsham Police.
“I called them on the way to the shop and they were there within the next 10 to 15 minutes,” he said.
Horsham Police will hold an online Victoria Police Neighbourhood Policing Forum on Wednesday, August 6, from 4-6pm.
Local services and community members will have the opportunity to hear from police and discuss current crime trends and crime prevention, young people, family violence, road policing, and drugs and drug-related crime.
A panel of police officers will moderate the forum, and questions will be invited during the event via the portal.
Registration is a must. To book, please visit: https://NHPhorsham.eventbrite.com.
A link will be sent to all registered attendees on the day of the event.
