A 22-YEAR-OLD Ferntree Gully man has been charged with five counts of armed robbery.
The arrest was part of a joint operation by detectives from Knox and Nunawading Police and the Glen Waverley Embona Task Force.
Seven people were arrested in relation to a string of armed robberies earlier this year. The robberies started about mid-October, with some of the people injured in the incidents receiving serious stab wounds that required hospitalisation.
Also charged with armed robbery and assault-related charges were two 18-year-old men, one from Vermont and one from Mt Evelyn, and a 16-year-old boy, also from Mt Evelyn. Three of the four charged appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday (Monday) after being remanded in custody.
Two 17-year-old boys from Ferntree Gully and Scoresby and a 16-year-old girl from Wantirna were expected to be charged on summons.
Plate thefts up
BELGRAVE police have reissued a warning to drivers to firmly secure registration plates after a recent upturn in thefts.
Police are not certain of the motives of number plate thieves, but have reported a growing number of incidents, especially in the Upwey area.
