Latest news with #OperationSoteria
Sky News AU
01-07-2025
- Sky News AU
Three-day crackdown sees 33 charged as police turn up heat on youth crime in northern and western NSW
A three-day police operation in northern and western NSW has seen 33 youth criminals charged with over 60 offences including 'post-and-boast' crimes and car thefts. Under Operation Soteria, NSW Police launched a three-day high-visibility youth crime blitz, with the taskforce now using covert and intelligence tactics to catch young lawbreakers in regional communities. The operation ran from June 26-28 and was centred in youth crime hotspots with an emphasis on curbing stolen vehicle, break and enter and 'post-and-boast' offenders. Post-and-boast offences are when young offenders share their crimes on social media for notoriety and fame. Police confirmed that 33 youth criminals were charged with a range of serious offences including drug possession, break-and-enter, driving related crimes and breach of bail in northern and western NSW. Officers attached to Operation Soteria also conducted 45 bail compliance checks and issued three infringement notices. NSW Police launched Operation Soteria three months ago after a surge in youth crime swept through regional areas. Offences included holding residents hostage with knives in their own homes and recklessly driving through suburban streets. The taskforce is a long-term strategy designed to co-ordinate police response to serious vehicle and property offences throughout northern and western NSW. One of the most severe incidents involved an alleged armed robbery of an 89-year-old man in his home on Wee Waa Street Walgett on June 24. Two young boys were later arrested in relation to the alleged break in. A 15-year-old boy was arrested in Walgett on June 27 and charged with a litany of offences including aggravated break and enter, car theft, police pursuit and breach of bail. The teen was refused bail and is set to appear in a children's court. A 14-year-old boy was also arrested an hour later in Walgett over a separate aggravated break and enter incident on June 19. A mobile phoned obtained in the search allegedly linked him to the earlier June 24 robbery, with the teen released on conditional bail and is set to face court on July 14. An 18-year-old Dubbo man was arrested after multiple witnesses reporting seeing someone carrying a gun. After a search officers revealed he was carrying a replica handgun and was charged with a number of firearm related offences and is set to appear at Dubbo Local Court on August 6. In a separate incident, a 27-year-old man was arrested in Dubbo after a short foot chase and was charged with five offences including drug possession, domestic violence-related assault and carrying a knife in public. The man remains in police custody and will appear at court on July 15. Police claim that since the operation commenced violent break-and enters and car thefts have dropped by more than 40 per cent in affected areas, with Soteria boss Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos stating that 164 people had faced court as the first phase wrapped up. Police said 119 of the 164 people charged were under 18. Deputy Commissioner Pisanos said the unit was entering a new phase, with NSW Police's intelligence command now tasked with monitoring social media in real time to detect crimes before they have been reported. The new covert intelligence tactics to be used including facial recognition are usually reserved for serious gang related crimes, with Sydney gangland expert Jason Weinstein of the State Crime Command to lead the second phase. 'A lot of the methodologies we are using to deal with emerging and serious youth crime are employed across organised and counterterror crime,' Pisanos told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Sydney Morning Herald
30-06-2025
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Operation Soteria
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The Age
30-06-2025
- General
- The Age
Operation Soteria
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Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
5 men arrested for online solicitation of minor after sting operation in Kilgore, officials say
KILGORE, Texas (KETK)– Over the past two weeks, five men have been arrested for online solicitation of a minor after a sting operation in Kilgore. According to the Kilgore Police Department, multiple departments have been working together in an online solicitation of a minor investigation. Passenger dead, drunk driver arrested after truck flips in Bullard, affidavit reveals All men but number five drove into Kilgore to meet up for sex with a minor and were arrested by detectives: Marshall Anthony Knapik, 27 of Longview, is being held on a $25,000 bond Dale Edward Shelton, 34 of Tyler, is being held on a $25,000 bond Alvaro Andres Rosas-Delgado, 23 of Longview, is being held on a $50,000 bond Ryan Hampsten Jacks, 34 of Troup, is being held on a $40,000 bond Casey Stinson of Bowie Stinson had planned to make a trip after his girlfriend went to work but couldn't change his flat tire, so he was arrested by the Palo Pinto County Sheriff's Office after Kilgore PD learned he would not be making the trip. East Texas man among those arrested in FBI's Operation Soteria for possession of child porn Officials said that none of the arrested people are from Kilgore, however, several of them lived close and previously visited the city in search of sex with a minor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
East Texas man among those arrested in FBI's Operation Soteria for possession of child porn
VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas (KETK) — An East Texas man is among the 244 people arrested in connection to the FBI's Operation Soteria as they combat the exploitation of children in the digital space. Firefighter injured after early morning Longview house fire The Grand Saline Police Departmet received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about suspected child sexual abuse material uploaded on the internet. During an investigation, officers discovered a suspect's residence and conducted a search warrant in April that resulted in several electronic devices being seized. Walter Lynn Baird was arrested on April 14 and charged with possession of child pornography, then charged with indecency with a child sexual contact on May 15, according to the police department. Those inside the residence were questioned and Baird was taken into custody. According to officials, additional charges are possible and the investigation is still active. Future of NASA Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine in question due to proposed budget cuts 'This case was part of Operation Soteria Shield, led by the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force,' the police department said. 'The task force received significant support from NCMEC throughout the operation. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of local, state, and federal agencies, Operation Soteria Shield resulted in the arrest of 244 child predators and the rescue of 109 children.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
