Drug paraphernalia and ‘‘other items of interest’’ were found in a number of locations at Four Post Camp near Deniliquin during the execution of a crime scene warrant on Tuesday morning.
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Police swept on the camp as part of Strike Force Burrandoot, formed following the theft of an ATM from a Moama shopping complex earlier this year.
Police said a person was present when they started the search of the camp and its buildings but no ‘‘persons of interest’’ were at the scene.
No arrests had been made at the time of going to print yesterday, but police confirmed Strike Force Burrandoot was ongoing.
Specific details of the items seized from the camp are not being made public at this stage.
Murray River Police District Senior Constable Michael McLeish said about 20 people assisted with the search of the camp, which wound up about 3.30pm.
He said it included about 10 police officers and another 10 volunteers from other local emergency services agencies, including the Deniliquin Volunteer Rescue Association, State Emergency Service and the Rural Fire Service.
‘‘We had assistance from volunteers and police officers from across the southern region, and from Border Force with their detection dogs,’’ Snr Constable McLeish said.
‘‘We seized a number of items of interest which will need to be further examined. The examination of the exhibits seized may lead to further warrants being issued.’’
The Pastoral Times was given exclusive access to Four Post Camp as the search started, after the initial sweep by the Border Force team.
Emergency service volunteers teamed up with uniformed police officers to begin a painstaking ‘line search’ of the scrubland that surrounds the normally tranquil camp.
Starting in the dried creek bed behind the main entrance, the line of volunteers moved inch by inch with eyes cast downwards looking for a clue or evidence. Every pile of leaves and twigs, every rock, every piece of rubbish, every tree base and log, and every soft patch of dirt had to be turned over or inspected to ensure nothing was missed.
The search was halted every few minutes to allow the volunteers to dig up and around obstacles before the line could continue.
In the first 40 minutes, the volunteers had not moved much further than 20 metres, and with the camp spanning almost five hectares it was to be a big day ahead.
As the volunteers rummaged through the scrub, banging sounds could be heard coming from inside a camp building where police were searching for evidence. Piles of belongings were seen stacked up in the open doorways as they went through each room.
Strike Force Burrandoot was formed by the State Crime Command’s Robbery and Serious Crime Squad and Murray River Police District after a bobcat was driven through the front doors of a Moama shopping complex about 4.30am on Monday, February 25. One ATM was stolen, and another damaged.
CCTV footage and photos from the shopping complex were released as the search at Four Post continued on Tuesday, depicting a stolen skid-steer loader and a white Mitsubishi Triton ute.
Murray River Police District Deniliquin officer in charge Detective Inspector Jy Brown said they were released in an appeal for public assistance.
He said police are urging anyone with information to come forward.
‘‘The search warrant was a result of several avenues of inquiry which led us to have some information provided to us,’’ Det Insp Brown said in a media conference on Tuesday.
‘‘From that information, we applied for a crime scene warrant to be able to go to this park and try to locate any items that may help us through our investigation and connect any persons to these offences.
‘‘Let me be clear. Strike Force investigators are conducting a very thorough investigation into this brazen robbery. We won’t leave any stone unturned.
‘‘These thieves should know we’re not going to take this shameless behaviour lying down. We will use all available resources at our disposal to put these persons before the courts.
‘‘We need to take these people off our streets.’’
■Anyone with information that may assist Strike Force Burrandoot investigators is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800333000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence.
