POLICE investigating a series of copper thefts from Mornington Peninsula sports clubs are urging anyone with information to contact Crimestoppers.
Football clubs at Balnarring, Hastings and South Mornington have been hit in recent months, with some hit more than once as thieves target copper wires and copper water pumps.
Two weeks ago, Hastings Tennis Club was hit for the second time, with thieves taking copper from three lights poles.
Coach Reece Driscoll said it was a sad blow to the club and the community. “It’s terrible that community clubs are being targeted like this, it’s costly, and for us it means we can’t have any night games or night coaching for up to six weeks,” he said. “We have been building the club up and increasing our numbers, so this is a setback.”
Driscoll said the club had spoken to electricians and was looking at what it could do to prevent further thefts. “I have also appealed to residents in the area to see if anyone captured these people coming into the club on their home security cameras,” he said.
The secretary of Balnarring Football Club, Pia Price, confirmed that the club lost its water pump to thieves last week, with the theft discovered on Thursday (8 May) when members from the netball club noticed there was no water.
“We had nine games and Oz Kick coming up on the weekend, and if it wasn’t for the [Mornington Peninsula Shire] council organising someone to come out, there would have been a lot of kids and players disappointed,” she said.
Copper theft is big business for crooks and the thefts continue despite police monitoring scrap metal dealers to prevent the stolen metal being bought and sold. Last year police busted an organised crime gang that stole up to $780,000 worth of copper from telco pits in Melbourne’s north. Eleven people were arrested.
First published in the Mornington News – 14th May 2024
