Two teenagers arrested in West Tamworth as police investigate stolen vehicles

The first arrest took place on Friday, September 22, around 10am, after "extensive" investigations linked a 14-year-old boy to an abandoned black Holden hatchback found on Kenny Drive, West Tamworth, which officers will allege in court was used in multiple shoplifting incidents at service stations in Moree and Narrabri.

The boy was taken to Tamworth Police Station where he was charged with joy riding offences including carried in conveyance taken without consent of owner, drive conveyance taken without consent of owner, on top of two counts of dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception, according to NSW Police.

The 14-year-old was refused bail and is scheduled to appear at children's court on Tuesday, October 17.

In a separate incident, police arrested another teenager in West Tamworth at around 11pm on the same day.

Operation Mongoose officers arrested a 16-year-old boy for allegedly stealing a woman's car from her home on Porter Street in the middle of the night a few days prior.

The boy was charged with two joy riding offences - carried in conveyance taken without consent of owner and drive conveyance taken without consent of owner - on top of another charge for driving without a license.

The 16-year-old was granted conditional bail and is scheduled to appear in children's court on Tuesday, October 3.

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The two investigations which prompted the arrests were conducted by officers from Operation Mongoose, a specialised property crime squad which Oxley Police re-activated in November last year.

Oxley Police District Commander Detective Superintendent Bruce Grassick recently commended the squad for its "significant work" in achieving a slight decrease in stolen cars over the last year.

In the last financial year, 256 cars were stolen across the Oxley Police District, compared to 265 the year before.

Since its reinstatement, Operation Mongoose has made a number of arrests for incidents of property crime, many of them involving juvenile offenders.

Superintendent Grassick said the local operation's investigations have been bolstered by aviation support, the dog squad, and officers from other regions.

Inquiries under Operation Mongoose continue as law enforcement works to address property-related offences in the region.

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