A 27-year-old man found hiding in the boot of a Honda City sedan became the 500th apprehension for Operation Toric, the dedicated police focus on recidivist behaviour and reoffending.

The man was arrested after police stopped the car on Kingsford Smith Drive, Florey, on the evening of August 5. He is facing charges of  breaching parole and possessing a prohibited weapon. Police say further charges are anticipated.

Since this arrest, Operation Toric has arrested a 16-year-old boy for serious driving offences on August 11 and a 35-year-old man for threatening to kill and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on August 12.

Since being established in August 2022, Operation Toric has laid more than 1470 offences targeting recidivist offenders involved in motor vehicle thefts, burglaries, robberies, associated dangerous driving and other crimes in the ACT.

Of those charged, 200 were on bail at the time of their arrest, while 118 were subject to conditions such as good behaviour orders, intensive corrections orders, or on parole.

The officer in charge, A/Insp Jason Dziubinski, said: “Operation Toric has been incredibly successful in targeting offences such as motor vehicle theft and dangerous driving, contributing to making the Canberra community safer.

“These offences place innocent members of the community at risk, not just those who are engaged in dangerous, criminal behaviour.

“Our apprehension numbers from Operation Toric indicate these offences are trending down, with around 300 apprehensions in Toric’s first year, and around 200 in the past year.

“While apprehension numbers have dropped year-on-year, this likely indicates reduced incidents of offending, in tandem with the fact that individuals engaged in these acts have been arrested and put before the courts.”