FIVE businesses in Carrum and Chelsea were robbed or had attempts made to rob them overnight on Tuesday (11 October) last week.
The businesses – all in Station St or Nepean Hwy – included a coin laundry, pizza shop, fast food caravan, antique shop, and licensed tavern.
In two of the robberies, thieves used heavy implements to punch holes through plaster walls to gain entry.
Police have charged a 36-year-old Whittlesea man with the coin laundry robbery. CCTV footage shows a man placing a magazine between the back door and the wall of the Nepean Hwy premises about 10pm, possibly to prevent it closing.
A man is then seen attempting to jemmy open a wall mounted change machine before using a sledgehammer to smash his way through a plaster wall into an office where he stole $50 coins. He is also seen cutting through electrical wiring, possibly to disable the CCTV camera.
A man was arrested on the weekend and charged with robbery. He appeared at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 13 October and was further remanded until 14 November.
Thieves climbed over a two-metre-high wire fence and smashed a glass door to enter a Chelsea antiques shop, corner Nepean Hwy and Chadwell Gr.
They ransacked the counter and office area and stole $200 in coins and notes as well as a charity tin.
Next door, a few hours later, thieves broke into a fast food caravan by bending metal surrounding a door vent and stealing a small number of gold coins. The van was previously robbed on 21 September.
Police are checking a fingerprint found at the scene with records held by Australian Border Force officials. It may match those contained in a possible suspect’s immigration application.
A pizza shop proprietor told police thieves tried to enter his Station St premises by jemmying open a back door and placing a garbage bin near a fence.
They also jemmied plaster from a wall and damaged a wall jamb. Nothing was stolen.
Thieves pushed down a two-metre-high wire fence topped with barbed wire in an attempt to enter a Station St tavern the same night.
They failed in their attempts to unscrew bolts on the backdoor and window and ripped flywire off window screens at the tavern, which is next door to the pizza shop.
Police are appealing for witnesses to the incidents. They should call Crime Stoppers, 1800 333 000.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 19 October 2016
