Andy Ayling with the damaged shutters where the burglars escaped.
Camera IconAndy Ayling with the damaged shutters where the burglars escaped. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Club fed up with burglars

Staff ReporterWanneroo Times

The club’s rooms at Kingsway Sporting Complex have been a regular target for burglars in recent years.

The most recent hit came in the early hours of last Tuesday, when two men unscrewed metal sheeting on the roof and kicked a hole in the ceiling.

They escaped with a bag of sports gear, but that was not Mr Ayling’s prime concern.

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The rugby stalwart was furious with the thousands of dollars in damage the thieves inflicted on their way in and out of the building.

The men forced their way outside through shutters in the bar wall when they were spooked by the alarm.

‘The excess insurance when this happens is about $2000,’ he said.

‘We do not budget for this, we’re a voluntary organisation.’ He said the club had spent thousands of dollars extra upgrading security in the building, but it continued to be a target.

There had been three or four attempted burglaries in the past few months.

Warwick Senior Sergeant Ken Walker said Kingsway attracted thieves because the grounds were isolated.

He also bemoaned the fact the damage often outweighed the theft, especially in clubs that did not store big amounts of cash.

‘It’s not so much the cash, but the grog they go for,’ he said.

He advised clubs to invest in high- definition low-light CCTV cameras.

‘They’re not very expensive these days and we have had huge success with them.’

See Street Watch page 10