The winner of the Investigation of the Year Award was the New South Wales Police Force's Strike Force Deeble.

The New South Wales Police Strike Force Deeble’ employed new techniques to assist with the investigation. The investigation was into two interconnected criminal groups who were involved in vehicle theft, stripping of parts, repairing economically Written Off cars, using false receipts, providing false receipts, using stolen parts and the sale of the re-birthed cars.

This Strike Force worked closely with the Roads and Traffic Authority, Victoria Police, South Australia Police, Insurers and Department of Fair Trading. It also utilised new legislation to assist the investigation such as –

• Controlled operations authority – allowing investigators to trespass and affix DataDots to stolen car parts so that they can be tracked in the future,
• Named Persons Warrant under the new Surveillance Devices Legislation
• And the use of tainted property freezing notices – allowing them to seize cars that have been purchased using proceeds of a crime or purchased for the purpose of rebirthing.

This investigation resulted in 9 offenders charged with 35 offences and seized multiple car parts, 8 vehicles and 1 Jet Ski. It also identified assets in excess of $1m which are now subject to confiscation proceedings. It is the first re-birthing investigation to charge offenders with the ‘Participate in Criminal Groups’ offence and to instigate Asset Confiscation proceedings.

Australasian Branch Vice President and Chair of the 2009 Awards Committee, Harry Rakintzis presents the 2009 Investigation of the Year Award to Det. Sgt. Frank Schreuder, NSW Police