Brick attack in vandal spree

By EMMA SUN
A RECENT spate of crimes in the hills has prompted police to issue a warning for residents to be more wary of their belongings.
Emerald police Acting Sergeant John Roberts said police have noticed a worrying trend of senseless damage to property.
The warning comes as Cockatoo’s Karen Moore appealed to residents to help find the people who threw a brick through the rear windscreen of her son’s parked car.
Ms Moore said the attack happened between midnight and 6am on Sunday 22 July in the driveway of the family’s home on Garden Street and the brick used came from their own backyard.
The Holden Commodore station wagon’s interior side panel, side window and wipers were also damaged and are expected to cost Ms Moore’s son about $1500 to repair.
“It’s a lot of money when he only paid $3000 for the car,” she said.
“We didn’t do comprehensive insurance because it’s not worth the money but you think you’d be able park it on the driveway.
“It’s his pride and joy and that’s his car.”
Sgt Roberts said police were investigating the incident and also another at the Emerald Lake Park Café, which was broken into last Monday night.
“Paint was thrown over the model railway part and cooking oil in excess of 100 litres was strewn throughout the café,” he said.
“The motivation did not seem to be theft, but just damage.”
Sgt Roberts said the other worrying trend was an increase in thefts from unlocked vehicles in the Emerald area, with 12 incidents occurring over the past two weeks.
Wallets were stolen from some vehicles, and credit cards were swiped and used to buy several thousand dollars worth of goods soon after.
Through CCTV footage in shops, police were able to arrest and charge the person using the credit cards.
But Sgt Roberts warned residents to be careful with what they keep in their cars and to always lock their vehicles.
“Because we live in a semi-remote surrounding, many people may lull themselves into a false sense of security,” he said.
“As the officer in charge here in Emerald, I would like to reiterate to locals to lock their cars and don’t leave their valuables inside – a lot of the cars were parked in the driveway and it’s a case of getting into the habit of locking your car at night.”
Anyone with information about the damage to the car and Emerald Lake Park Café is urged to contact the Emerald Police Station on 5968 4422.