Fairfield Champion 29 May 2002

CAR hoons doing burnouts were the worst Fairfield criminals caught by hordes of police involved in Operation Vikings on Friday night.

Yet within 24 hours of this operation, which smacked of a publicity stunt, all hell had broken loose.

Seven people were shot at a wedding reception on Saturday night in the main street of Cabramatta.

The next day a 60-year-old man working at the rear of a Guildford factory was shot in the knee by two thugs with a hand gun.

In the face of these outbreaks of crime, Operation Vikings - which utilised hundreds of police officers - has been left looking like a flop.

"No matter how they try to deny it, this [Operation Vikings] was nothing but a PR stunt, and it had no chance of success after the police had tipped off the media that it was going to happen," Cr Thang Ngo said.

The timing of the weekend shootings couldn't be worse with the state government's Cabramatta Policing Inquiry rolling back into the suburb on Friday morning.

The wedding reception gunman was still at large as the Champion went to press. Cabramatta police said an argument occurred between the wedding party and a table - which was not part of the wedding party - at 10.45pm at the New World Restaurant in John Street. It is not known what triggered the argument.

A man of Asian appearance fired shots from a hand gun at a group of guests. It is believed 15 shots were discharged.

A 33-year-old Carramar man suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen and chest. His condition is serious.

A 26-year-old Canley Heights man suffered gunshot wounds to the chest and left thigh and a 21-year-old Bonnyrigg woman suffered a gunshot wound to the left thigh. A 42-year-old Cabramatta man suffered a gunshot wound to the left hip and thigh.

A 28-year-old Daceyville man suffered a gunshot wond to the right thigh, a 35-year-old Cabramatta man suffered a gunshot wound to the lower left leg, and an eight-year-old boy suffered a gunshot wound to the right arm.

Anyone with information can contact Cabramatta police on 9725 8999.

On Sunday, a 60-year-old man working at the rear of a factory in Clarke Street, Guildford was approached by two men.

After a struggle, he was shot in the knee and a dog was hit in the neck. Both required surgery.

The violent weekend focussed attention on Friday night's operation, in which police hit local streets utilising summary offences legislation, gathered intelligence and issued infringement notices. Acting commissioner Ken Moroney said the exercise was a means of "driving down crime on the streets".

However, critics called it a stunt and waste of resources.

Opposition police spokesman Andrew Tink attacked the decision to pre-brief the media, saying the point of the exercise should have been to catch criminals unawares. Supt Mark Jenkins said Friday night sent a clear message that criminal and anti social behaviour would not be tolerated.