Fifty-four people were arrested during a two-day police blitz across Whittlesea and Darebin.
As part of Operation Influx, police increased their presence across the two municipalities in a bid to reduce vehicle-related crimes and residential burglaries.
The 54 arrests were for a range of offences, including theft from a motor vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle, drug possession, criminal damage and drug and drink driving.
Twenty-two people were charged and bailed, while five were remanded in custody.
Police checked almost 400 vehicles, spoke to 495 people and issued 118 penalty notices during the blitz.
Three search warrants were executed, with police seizing a stolen Mercedes Benz with false plates, drug paraphernalia, a large quantity of the drug GHB (also known as grievous bodily harm) and stolen computers and laptops.
Sixty-eight intelligence reports were created for further investigation.
Superintendent Tim Hansen said police are committed to making Whittlesea and Darebin safer.
“This … is a great example of how we can disrupt crime,” he said. “We know that proactive policing can detect and prevent crime before it occurs.
“We’ve seen an immediate drop in certain offence categories compared to the same time last month.”
