Manager Mitchell Carter said his IGA store in Mt Helena had been the target of cigarette thieves.
Camera IconManager Mitchell Carter said his IGA store in Mt Helena had been the target of cigarette thieves. Credit: Supplied/Bruce Hunt

Spike in cigarette thefts

Julian Wright, Hills GazetteHills Avon Valley Gazette

Mundaring officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant John Browne said there had been six commercial burglaries in the past two months where cigarettes were the target.

‘There have been several thousands of dollars of cigarettes stolen and I believe there is a market for the re-sale of these cigarettes at a discounted price,’ he said.

‘I would urge retailers to review their security measures, to ensure their cigarettes do not become a target for burglaries.’

IGA Mt Helena manager Mitchell Carter said the store had tight security, with 32 closed circuit television cameras, but it was frequently targeted by thieves.

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‘There have been five incidents in the space of two weeks,’ he said. ‘We’d had no trouble for years until the last couple of weeks; they are breaking in overnight and we are being alerted by the security company when the alarm goes off, but we are missing these offenders by about five minutes.’

He said it appeared the people captured in the CCTV footage were in their late teens. Anyone with information, should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.