Alleged serial thief arrested after medical centres targeted

An alleged thief, accused of stealing 13 payment terminals from medical centres across Melbourne, has been arrested.
 
A 32-year-old man was arrested on Sunday following a Victoria Police investigation into a series of burglaries at medical facilities, including general practices, between 30 August and 14 September.
 
The alleged thefts occurred at locations across Melbourne, including Brunswick, Camberwell, Mordialloc, Seabrook and St Kilda.
 
Thirteen payment terminals were allegedly stolen, along with cash and electronics.
 
Police also allege the man had been using two stolen cars, a 2017 Subaru Wagon and a Toyota Fortuna, which were both recovered.
 
The Melbourne man has been charged with a long list of offences, including seven counts of burglary and two counts of theft of a motor vehicle.
 
He has been remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 2 December.
 
Police also charged an alleged associate of the man on 4 November after arresting a 37-year-old Melbourne man.
 
Detective Senior Sergeant Haydn Beale said these arrests highlight Victoria Police’s commitment to ‘disrupting syndicates who attempt to target businesses’.
 
‘We take these reports seriously, and we will do everything we can to hold offenders to account,’ he said.
 
‘If you fall victim to a break-in, please don’t touch anything and report the matter as soon as possible to give police the best chance to investigate.’
 
Victoria Police is reminding the community to take steps to help reduce the risk of becoming victims of burglaries or thefts, including to:

• upgrade locks to commercial-grade deadbolts or electronic locks with audit trails
• reinforce doors and windows with security film or bars
• install monitored alarm system and CCTV cameras at entry points
• lock all terminals away and avoid keeping any PIN details in the vicinity of the terminal.

general practice security Victoria Police