Crims hit schools, sporting clubs

POPULAR community and sporting clubs including the Newtown and Chilwell Football Club, East Geelong Golf Club and the Austrian Club in Corio were all burgled this week, as was the State Emergency Service in Bell Park.

Thieves also targeted three local schools, including Northern Bay College and Grovedale Secondary College.

Building and power tools, prescription drugs, computers and other electrical items were among the items stolen.

Residential burglaries were spread across a large number of suburbs this week, with multiple offences in Corio and Whittington.

Five of the incidents occurred in sheds or garages, while in six cases, offenders entered the house through an unlocked door or window.

There was one burglary at a holiday house and another at a farm building.

One Herne Hill burglary was also linked to the theft of a motor vehicle, while other popular items stolen across the week included power tools, jewellery and household electrical items.

There were a number of thefts from vehicles over the course of one night in Highton and Belmont. Others occurred in Highton in the following days.

A large number of the incidents involved smashing a window to gain entry, however, there was an equal number where no visible force was identified.

There were other multiple incidents in Geelong, Norlane/Corio, Bell Park, Lara, Colac and Whittington.

A total of 11 incidents involved the theft of numberplates. Both numberplates were stolen on seven occasions and a single numberplate was stolen on four occasions.

Five vehicles were stolen from Corio, other multiple incidents occurred in Lara with the remainder occurring in individual suburbs. One vehicle stolen from Herne Hill was linked to a residential burglary.

Six of the vehicles have been recovered by police, with four recovered in Corio/Norlane and two found in Lara.

Corio and Norlane continue to be the most targeted suburbs in relation to damage offences, with windows, vehicles, fences and doors the most common targets.

Other suburbs targeted this week included Geelong (vehicles and graffiti), Lara (vehicles, windows, fence and graffiti), Thomson (windows and house contents), Colac (windows) and Waurn Ponds (vehicles), while railway stations at South Geelong, Geelong, Corio and Lara all had incidents occur.

Overall, damage to vehicles and windows accounted for half the reported damages this past week.