NSW police are cracking down on fare evasion as part of another special operation
April 16, 2013
Green-vested police began patrolling the New South Wales public transport network yesterday as part of an operation to crack down on fare evaders.
NSW police say the operation, Operation Javelin III, will focus on fare evasion on public transport across the Sydney metropolitan area.
Police on foot, on bikes, and in plain clothes will patrol major transport interchanges, targeting people who misuse concessions, misuse zone ticketing, produce fake concession products and tickets, and bypass ticketing gates.
Police Transport Command Commander Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell says police will hand out on-the-spot fines to fare evaders.
“We will be out in force for six weeks from tomorrow to prevent robberies, assaults, anti-social behaviour, and fare evasion through providing a visible police presence across the public transport network,” Mitchell says.
“Police won’t take a backward step and will focus on taking legal action against offenders, rather than issuing warnings.”
Commuters who use transport without paying the right fare can receive fines in excess of $200 for adults and $50 for juveniles.
Operation Javelin I ran last year from July 16 to August 31.
During the operation 707 people were searched, 75 people were arrested, 112 charges were issued, and 1,386 infringement notices were issued for a variety of offences, including fare evasion.
Operation Javelin II ran last year from October 22 to
November 29.
During the operation 465 people were searched, 45 people were arrested and 1,198 infringement notices were issued.