Police have charged seven people following a three-day high-visibility operation targeting crime across the Port Stephens, Maitland, and Hunter Valley areas.
Between Wednesday 5 November and Friday 7 November 2025, officers from Operation Soteria — supported by Port Stephens-Hunter and Hunter Valley Police Districts, the Dog Unit, and Youth Command — conducted intensive patrols as part of Operation Surge to disrupt and prevent criminal activity.
Across the operation, police completed 52 bail compliance checks and arrested seven individuals.
Notable incidents:
🔹 Around 1am on Friday 7 November, police located an abandoned vehicle near Ashfield that had been stolen during a break-in at a Metford home earlier in the week. Five young people were reportedly seen fleeing the scene. Two large knives were recovered from the vehicle, which was seized for forensic examination.
🔹 Later that night, about 11pm, police pursued a stolen vehicle in Greta that had been taken from a Lorn property the day before. The chase ended in Rutherford, where four young people ran from the abandoned car. A 15-year-old boy was arrested nearby and taken to Maitland Police Station. He will be dealt with under the Young Offenders Act.
Operation Soteria remains ongoing, with police continuing to target crime and antisocial behaviour across the Hunter Region.