Cade Lucas
Sporting clubs based at Galvin Park Reserve have again been targeted by thieves with police investigating a burglary at Werribee Centrals Football Club in the new year.
Police have been told offenders gained entry to shipping containers and portables at the club sometime between the evening of Sunday, December 31 and the afternoon of Wednesday, January 3.
Once inside, the offenders stole two televisions and a range of sporting equipment.
Investigators are yet to determine if the burglary is connected to previous thefts at Galvin Park, including at Werribee Centrals.
Club secretary Alan Stewart said the break-ins have become a regular occurrence.
“We’ve had four or five in the last, I’d say, three months” he said.
“Some of them are construction related, so people pinching copper pipe and writing, we’ve had two of those and we had one where they got into the building into the bar area and took all the loose drinks and that sort of stuff and this one.”
Werribee Centrals clubrooms are currently being renovated which is why containers and portables are being used to store sporting equipment.
It was while checking them after putting the bins out on January 3 that Mr Stewart noticed they’d been broken into.
“I just walked around the building to do a security check and noticed all the locks were missing from the security containers and the doors were ajar.”
Mr Stewart said it was clear the offenders were targeting the two televisions, football, netball and cricket gear.
“There was stuff left outside, one of the exercise bikes was out in the open, there was stuff thrown around so they could get to the back of the containers. They’ve had to get to the back of the containers to get those so that’s why everything was thrown out.”
Werribee Centrals are located on the other side of the oval from a storage facility used by the Werribee CFA which was also broken into during the Christmas and New Year period.
An estimated $20,000 worth of competitive fire fighting equipment, including hydrants connections and nozzles were stolen on December 24.
Mr Stewart said Galvin Park had always been prone to robberies and other offences, but that the current situation had to change.
“General security across the reserve is an issue and we’re addressing that with council,” he said.
Galvin Park reserve is managed by Wyndham council. A spokesperson for the council said they were aware of the recent break-ins and were working with tenant clubs to review security measures.
