By Alesha Capone
A police air wing helicopter and K9 unit have helped track down a man and a woman following an alleged burglary in the Manor Lakes area.
Police were called to a construction site at a school on Minindee Road about 2.45am on June 9 after receiving reports of two people behaving suspiciously and allegedly trying to enter the premises.
Following a brief search of the area by officers, the air wing and K9 unit, a man and a woman were arrested. A 37-year-old Wyndham Vale man and 31-year-old Werribee woman have since been charged with burglary, theft, trespass, going equipped to steal and committing an indictable offence while on bail.
A statement posted on the Wyndham police Eyewatch Facebook page said it was believed the man and woman were allegedly “looking to steal copper piping”.
In a separate case, in April, police arrested four men in relation to a series of copper thefts from sports and recreational reserves and schools in Brimbank, Melton and Wyndham.
A 27-year-old Taylors Lakes man, a 33-year-old Taylors Lakes man, a 35-year-old Keilor Downs man and a 28-year-old
Hillside man were arrested and charged with theft.
All four were remanded to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 16.
In March, unidentified thieves stole copper cabling valued at more than $200,000 from sports facilities in Wyndham.
At the time, Wyndham mayor Mia Shaw said there had been 10 separate incidents of copper cables being stolen from sports venues within the municipality.
“These thefts are very concerning and results in significant work needing to be undertaken to make these facilities fully operational again,” she said.
