Operation Nomad is the SAPOL response to the threat of bushfires in South Australia. The Fire Danger Season can be an anxious time for many South Australians, especially those living or working in rural areas. By being vigilant and reporting the signs of deliberately lit fires we can work together to stop arson burning a trail of destruction through our communities. Arsonists are known to often ignite small fires, practicing their methods before escalating to larger and potentially more devastating bushfires. What may appear to be a seemingly insignificant fire may hold vital evidence and demonstrate an arsonist’s pattern of crime. Police should be notified of ANY fire remnants you may see on walking trails, roadsides, in parks, etc. If you see signs of burnt out spot fires or anything suspicious – ring the police. REMEMBER EMERGENCY 000 – if you see a fire burning or any situation where life or injury is threatened OR CRIME STOPPERS on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au – if you have any information about who is lighting fires – you can remain anonymous
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Murder – Rodney Larcombe (18-100)
Five years ago Rodney Larcombe was brutally killed in his own Warradale home. The 65-year-old’s body was found by his sister in his Kildonan Road home on November, 28, 2013, but police believe he was murdered the night before – probably between 5 pm and 8 pm. The nature of his injuries were such that detectives are of the view his killer was angry or quite frenzied at the time, Detective Brevet Sergeant Rod Huppatz, from the SA Police Major Crime Investigation Branch, has stated.
Police have previously released CCTV footage, recorded by an outside camera on a house close to the victim’s address, but on the other side of the road, in which a number of people can be seen walking along Kildonan Road on the 27th November, 2013. The road provides access to Marion Shopping Centre so the foot traffic can be quite heavy in the area, but police are keen to identify a number of men who walked past the area around the time Rodney was killed. Detective Brevet Sergeant Huppatz stated that despite the vision being released by police and being available on YouTube for a number of years, none of the men had been identified, or had come forward to police yet.
Police have interviewed a number of people in relation to this matter, with two of those of particular of interest to police, but there is insufficient evidence to progress the matter. “The offender was either allowed into the house, or simply entered through an open, unlocked rear door – there’s no sign of forced entry at the property”, Detective Brevet Sergeant Huppatz stated. “The victim does have some criminal history, which I would suggest to the public should not influence their decision about coming forward to us. This is a murder investigation and we are keeping an open mind about all possibilities.”
Rodney Larcombe was known to be active in the gay community, and police are aware he may have had lawful, consensual visitors to his house that they would also be interested in hearing from.
“We know that people and their relationships change over the years and that the passing of time can help us”, Detective Brevet Sergeant Huppatz stated. “Someone who may not have felt comfortable speaking with us five years ago may now be willing to do so. There is a reward of up to $200,000 for anyone who is able to provide information that leads to a conviction in this case. There is a mystery about what happened at this house between 4 and 8 pm on the 27th November, 2013, and it’s hard to believe that no one saw anything.”
Anyone with information about the men in the video, or about this murder, is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online or via the App – you can remain anonymous.
Aggravated Assault – Register St Adelaide
At about 3:40 am on Sunday, 17 June 2018, a 21 year old male was involved in an incident with three other males, resulting in the victim being punched to the ground before being kicked and stomped on. The victim was knocked unconscious during the assault and was conveyed to the RAH via ambulance where he remained in a coma for 11 days with life threatening head injuries. Two of the males have since been identified and arrested, with the third remaining outstanding.
Police are seeking a caucasian male, aged early 20’s, dark hair, short back and sides with long straight hair on top with blonde streaks, 6′ tall, wearing a grey dinner jacket and a blue/white patterned shirt.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or by using the Make a Report button at the top of the page. Please quote reference: 18-93.
National Missing Persons Week
Supported by Crime Stoppers programs right across Australia, National Missing Persons Week is an annual event held during the first week of August to help people better understand the significant issues associated with missing persons and help to reduce the number of missing people in Australia.
Originally starting in 1988, this year’s event will run from the 5-11 August.
To acknowledge and celebrate event’s 30-year milestone, a digital campaign has been developed to engage those who may have never thought about a missing person or believe the impact of a missing person will never affect them.
A short film has been developed, displaying the effects of a missing loved one on family left behind and provides insight into the emotional struggle, the not knowing and the waiting for answers that families experience when a loved one is missing.
The week also sees the launch of a ‘30 for 30’ campaign, focusing on 30 missing persons for 30 years of the event. Highlighted cases will touch on the different reasons why people go missing, as well as the impact on families and friends let behind.
For South Australia, three missing persons are profile as part of this year’s campaign:
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Michael John Modesti last spoke to his girlfriend by telephone on the evening of 8 May 2016. At that time he was at his home address in Beverley, SA. It is believed he left home sometime after 8.30 am the following morning in his dark blue 2005 Mitsubishi Magna 360 sedan (SA registration, XPC-764). He was reported missing by his family later than evening when they went to his home – finding the television on and his personal possessions inside. His unsecured vehicle was found three days later parked at West Croydon, about 15 metres south of Torrens Road and about 3kms north of his home.
The circumstances of his disappearance are subject to investigation and foul play is suspected. |
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Scott John Redman was last seen near Kimba, South Australia on Saturday afternoon, 21st April 2018. He was last seen in a motor vehicle travelling west on the Eyre Highway towards Kimba and became separated from the vehicle in scrub land 40 kilometres east of Kimba. He has not been seen since. The motor vehicle Scott was travelling in was located abandoned on Wednesday, 25th April 2018 on a track off Middleback Road, Secret Rocks.
Grave concerns are held for Scott’s safety and welfare. |
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Keith Nixon was staying with family at West Beach Caravan Park at Adelaide in South Australia and was last seen at midday on Thursday 30 May 1996 at the caravan park. It is believed that he was planning to walk from Glenelg to Henley Beach. On that day cash was withdrawn from a bank account but other personal items were left behind. He has never been heard from or seen since.
His family still live in hope that one day he will contact them. |
How can you help?
Please do you bit to like and share content and keep an eye out around your city and on social media. Take a moment to look at the faces of our long-term missing; keeping the families of those missing in your thoughts.
It is important to keep awareness of missing persons within our community front of mind, and remember that if you have information that may assist police please call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report at crimestopperssa.com.au
You can remain anonymous.
Can you identify this arsonist?
Your help is needed to identify a man caught on CCTV setting a car alight at Maria St, Thebarton on 29 June 2018.
If you have information, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. You can remain anonymous and rewards are available.
Image of Highbury robbery suspect released
A computer-generated image of the suspect and CCTV of the car involved in an aggravated robbery at Highbury last month has been released.
About 4.30pm on Monday 25 June a man attended at a home on Wicks Road, telling the occupants that he was delivering a package.
When the resident opened the door to let the man inside, he allegedly produced a handgun and demanded cash and jewellery. As the woman went into another room, the suspect left empty handed and drove off in a small black car towards Dene Road.
No one was physically injured.
The suspect is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 170cm tall with a stocky build, dark hair and stubble, aged in his 20’s. He was wearing black pants and a green and yellow hi-vis top.
CCTV footage of the suspects’ car travelling on Dene Road and Lower North East Road, Highbury, a short time later has been released.
The car appears to be a 2000’s model black Holden Barina and has its hazard lights flashing while driving.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online at http://crimestopperssa.com.au
CCTV of Para Hills arson attack released
CCTV has been released to help identify a man wanted for an arson attack on a Para Hills West business.
The incident happened just before 11.30pm on Monday 28 May, with emergency services called to Main North Road near Beafield Road after reports of a large fire.
The blaze caused extensive damage to cars and the property, with a Kia sedan driven into the business and set alight. The Kia had stolen number plates, which had been taken from a car in Woodville Gardens on Sunday 27 May.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or make a report at online at crimestopperssa.com.au
Online Fraud and Scams
Crime Stoppers SA and Police Credit Union have joined forces to help protect South Australians from falling victim to an online scam. In 2017, nearly 3000 Australians fell victim to an online scam, and our campaign has been designed to give you the understanding and tips of what to do to stay safe online and avoid falling prey to the scammers.
From spyware to dodgy online merchants, the threat of online fraud is real – do remember that you are always the best line of defence.
What are the different types of online fraud?
Internet banking fraud – committed using online technology to illegally remove money from, or transfer it to, a different bank account. Types of internet banking fraud include phishing and mule recruitment, and can happen through a smartphone, tablet and other mobile devices.
Mobile banking – Using a computer, tablet or smartphone is so convenient and banks protect your accounts with sophisticated software systems, so criminals focus on customers directly, tricking victims into revealing confidential information. Consider the switch from paper statements to online statements, because identity theft is harder without statements going into mailboxes. Financial institutions never request someone to send their bank details or request someone to log into their account via email. Think about using a digital wallet (such as Google Pay and Apple Pay) where you can payWave transactions and verify with fingerprints – and remember that a banking app is a great way to regularly keeptrack of transactions.
Phishing – involves a form of spam to fraudulently gain access to people’s internet banking details, and usually are made to appear as having come from a bank and encourage unsuspecting victims to provide their personal banking details. Typically, a phishing email has a link, which when clicked will download a program that captures keyboard strokes – including login details – and sends them to a third party.
Mule recruitment – an attempt to get a person to receive stolen funds using his or her bank account, and then transfer those funds to criminals overseas. An approach could be fraudulent job and employment emails sent to random email addresses, in the hope of involving an unsuspecting victim in the criminal activity.
Shopping and auction site fraud – is where a person is tricked into not using a secure payment service because of advice from a seller. This can involve being sent purported links to banking services in an email, which actually leads to fraudulent sites or prompting the download of a ‘Trojan’ virus or ‘key logging’ program.
Spam – unsolicited commercial messages sent via email, SMS, MMS and other, similar electronic messaging media which try and persuade someone to buy a product or service or visit a website to make a purchase. They can also trick you into divulging bank account or credit card details.
Investment scams – People should seek independent advice from professionals before sending funds offshore to overseas investments and undertake due diligence.
How can you combat online fraud?
The key to combating online fraud is knowing what threats exist and taking easy steps to beat them.
To prevent online fraud:
- Keep current with your software and virus protection
- Create strong passwords
- Ignore emails from senders you don’t know
- Use your pop-up blocker
- Download files only from sites or persons that you know and trust
- Sign up for email/SMS “transaction alerts” from your bank to keep track of your purchases
- Make sure your financial institution has your up-to-date contact details
- Mobile technology is a common way for people to transact online, and people need to stay safe by:
- Protecting a device both physically and with passwords/PIN codes
- Never storing sensitive account information on mobile devices
- Being aware of surroundings— and not reading sensitive details in public
- Scammers pretend to be from trusted companies or government departments – they email you fake bills or want remote access to your computer to ‘fix the problem’ – so never allow remote access to your computer systems and never access your online banking when on the phone to a stranger.
- If you’re contacted unexpectedly from a government agency or business, always consider that it may be a scam. If you’re unsure whether a call or email is genuine, verify the identity of the contact through an independent source, such as a phone book or online search. Don’t use the contact details provided by the caller or in the message they sent to you.
What should you do if you think you’ve been scammed?
If you’ve sent money or shared your banking or credit card details, contact your financial institution immediately. It may be able to stop or reverse a transaction or close your account.
Go to https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/get-help/where-to-get-help for some other useful tips.
If you want to report a scam, go to https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/
Check out our short video series about how to stay safe online and what to do if you’ve been scammed:
Make the call – Ice campaign TV ad
Ice dealers operating their illicit trade in full view of the local community must be held to account for the crisis they continue to cause, and our latest TV ad encourages people to take back control by anonymously providing information rather than staying silent.
The Make the Call. Cut the Supply. Stop the Hurt campaign – launched in partnership with the State Government and SA Police – specifically targets street-level dealers and dark net drug vendors.
Sitting back and watching dealers destroy the lives of the people you care about should not be an option.
We don’t need to know who you are, just what you know.
Even if you have little more than a suspicion about someone, that still might be the piece of the puzzle that can make all the difference – so have the courage to make the call and choose to stay anonymous if that’s what you want.
If you have any information about criminals or criminal activity, then call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au People can remain anonymous and rewards are available.
Arrest made for cold case murder of Robert Sabeckis
A man has been arrested by New Zealand Police, with the assistance of detectives from the South Australia Police Major Crime Investigation Branch, in connection to the murder of Robert Sabeckis at Maslin Beach on 13 January 2000.
The 43-year-old man is expected to be extradited to South Australia to face a charge of murder.
Mr Sabeckis, who lived in St Peters, was shot and killed in the Gull Rock car park at Maslin Beach about 1.15am that morning.
The arrest follows a DNA match under the New Zealand Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Act 1995, which was amended last year.
The investigation into Mr Sabeckis’ murder is ongoing and an appeal has been made for information from the community – particularly anyone who lived in and around the Aldinga Beach area 18 years ago.
After Mr Sabeckis was shot in the car park off Bowering Hill Rd, the offender drove off in the victim’s vehicle, a silver coloured Ford Falcon.
A witness who followed the car, told police that after it drove along Bowering Hill Rd and onto Tuit Rd the vehicle crashed into bushes and a fence, with the offender then running away across paddocks towards the direction of Port Willunga.
A later search of the area located a sawn-off shotgun, which is believed to be the murder weapon, along with a jacket thought to have belonging to the offender.
The shotgun – and another firearm – were stolen during a break-in at a house in Dover St, Aldinga Beach days earlier on New Year’s Eve, with that house then set alight and badly damaged.
A gun bag containing rocks, clothing, ammunition, and the sawn off butt of the shotgun were found floating in the sea off Aldinga Beach on 13 January.
An appeal is also being made to anyone who recalls a 25-year-old man of Maori or Pacific Islander appearance living in Aldam St, Aldinga Beach in 2000. He drove a brown or gold coloured Holden Gemini and attended Adult Learning at the Christies Beach High School in 2000, and may have used the name Paul Taylor while living in South Australia.
Police are also keen to hear from anyone with information about the theft of the firearms, or the pistol that was taken that night and has not been recovered.
Anyone with information about the murder of Mr Sabeckis is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online at https://crimestopperssa.com.au/
You can remain anonymous and a reward is available.
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