Brazen thief swipes big TV

Alex de Vos
A brazen thief has walked out of a Geelong store with a 107-centimetre television as Victoria Police run a statewide campaign targeting “organised retail theft”.
Staff at Geelong West’s Betta Electrical were shocked as the thief drove away with a car door open because his haul was too big for the back seat.
Betta staff member Tim Wilson was sure the thief was part of an organised retail crime ring.
“He seemed so calm and collected when he stole the television,” Mr Wilson said.
“He looked like he’d done it 1000 times – he was totally confident.”
Mr Wilson said the man walked into the store, “casually” picked up the television, walked out and “jammed” it into the back seat of his car.
“He then made off like a rocket up the wrong side of the road and with the back door open.”
Mr Wilson said he reported the theft to police who later revealed the getaway vehicle had stolen number plates.
Authorities urged anyone with information about the theft to contact police.
Victoria Police launched its campaign last week amid a spike in what officers termed organised retail theft.
A Victoria Police spokesperson said the thefts involved individuals or groups shoplifting large quantities of goods for re-sale on the black market.
Police estimated that organised thefts cost Victorian businesses tens of millions of dollars a year, the spokesperson said.
Police believed the total loses would be much higher if traders reported all thefts.
The police spokesperson said products were often stolen to order.
Theft targets covered most product categories, including high-end fashion and luxury products, hardware, electrical goods, cosmetics, stationery and grocery items, the spokesperson said.
Geelong Traders Association’s Hayden Spurling said he was unaware of a spike in organised retail theft around the city but believed the crime was an “ongoing problem”.
He said the majority of organised theft rings were probably from outside Geelong.
“It’s definitely been an issue in the past and it does happen from time to time,” Mr Spurling said.
“A lot of the time the thieves are from out of town and the goods will be stolen to order.”
Mr Spurling advised traders to be wary.
“We’ve just got to be more vigilant in ensuring we have legitimate customers in the store,” he said.