Alyssa Fritzlaff
Victoria Police will begin Operation Compass on Friday, October 29.
Assistant Commissioner Road Policing Glenn Weir, announced the initiative on Wednesday and said it will be “a highly visible, highly active police operation”.
As part of the operation, Victoria Police will patrol Victoria’s main roads and highways over the Melbourne Cup long weekend.
There are two phases to operation compass, the first beginning Friday, October 29 at 12:01pm and continuing to November 2, 11:59pm.
The second phase will extend from Friday November 5, 12:01pm to Sunday November 7, 11:59pm.
Due to the Melbourne Cup long weekend and restrictions easing, police are expecting an influx of people travelling to regional areas and tourist hot spots.
Police are warning drivers to “take extra care” on Victoria’s roads over the next two weekends.
Commissioner Weir said “it’s no good surviving the pandemic if you end up dead or seriously injured in a car crash”.
In 2021, 190 people have died on the states roads, which is well above 2020’s 178.
Following the end of lockdown last year 11 people died, and at the end of the recent regional restrictions four people died in a five day period on regional roads.
Commissioner Weir called the upcoming fortnight “a perfect storm on our roads”.
“Many of us haven’t driven long distances for months. Our skills have deteriorated and there’s going to be an enormous amount of traffic as people escape the city and head to regional Victoria.”
“Victoria Police will be going all out to keep people safe. You will see highway patrol cars, you will see drug and alcohol buses, you will see our motorbikes and you will see our frontline patrol units.”
Operation Compass will target speed, distraction, fatigue, and impaired driving. Focusing on high-risk areas.
Police will be highly visible on roads including the Princes Freeway, Calder Freeway, Hume Highway and Western Highway.
“Please, help us make this time memorable for all the right reasons. Road trauma is preventable, and we don’t want to see anybody else become an unnecessary statistic,” said Commissioner Weir.
For more information, visit www.police.vic.gov.au
