Between January and August 2024, organised crime syndicates targeted a variety of retailers, primarily service station operators, in the Melbourne metropolitan region, stealing large quantities of tobacco through violent offences such as robbery and break-ins.
The offenders were well organised, prepared and planned, and deliberately circumvented existing security measures that were already in place. As such, this ongoing and escalating crime trend required an innovative and new approach to address the issue.
Viva Energy Retail took an innovative approach of embedding tracking technology inside non-saleable tobacco products and deployed these tracking devices to over 150 sites in the Melbourne Metropolitan region.
Within days of deploying these tracking devices, a robbery occurred at a Viva Energy Retail site in the suburb of Rosanna where the offenders unknowingly took the tracking device with them, and ‘Operation Rosanna’ commenced.
In partnership with Pinkerton, Viva Energy Retail relayed the tracking information to trained surveillance operators who were able to intercept the location of the tracking devices and conduct external and covert surveillance.
During surveillance, suspicious behaviour and further information through public record searches was obtained. This information was relayed to investigating Police which resulted in the apprehension of the offenders involved.
A further two robberies occurred at other Viva Energy Retail locations in the following weeks and tracking devices were taken by the offenders which were tracked by Viva Energy Retail and surveillance conducted by Pinkerton.
This innovative approach has resulted in numerous apprehensions and / or provided further lines of investigation and enquiries by Victoria Police and is a great example of the innovative approach to a unique challenge and the collaboration between different parties including Viva Energy Retail, Pinkerton and Victoria Police.