Ballarat police have asked for the public’s help to find almost 20 wanted people as part of a campaign that seeks to empower residents when reporting crime.
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Warrant Wednesdays started last September and runs every week on the force’s Eyewatch - Ballarat Police Service Area page on Facebook.
You can see all the wanted people here.
Mugshots and details of wanted people are uploaded to the page and residents are encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers if they have any information that could assist officers.
Leading Senior Constable Janine Walker, who runs Warrant Wednesdays, said it was in the community’s hands to help Ballarat police and stamp out offending.
“The community you want starts at your front door, so if you know something, say something,” she said.
“And for people with warrants, you know you’re wanted ... just come in and get it sorted out, it’s going to catch up with you eventually, it’s not going to go away.”
Warrants are issued by a magistrate when someone fails to appear in court or when someone breaches their bail conditions.
The campaign has had a successful strike rate so far, with 28 warrants cleared last week.
However, 19 people remain on the loose, some of them having evaded police for months.
For example, Ronald Pavlov, 34, has been on the run since last September.
People targeted in Warrant Wednesdays usually have multiple outstanding warrants to their name and are given multiple warnings before their image is uploaded.
Most are wanted over drug, burglary, driving and family violence offences, according to police.
Leading Senior Constable Walker called on all Ballarat residents to get involved and “like” Ballarat’s Eyewatch page to follow local police operations.
“We need to get our local likes up more so more people can see our information,” she said.
