Police reveal new details of SA’s alleged Bicycle Bandit crimes after arrest

A man charged over a series of armed bank robberies – and who has been dubbed the infamous Bicycle Bandit – was a police officer before his alleged offending, The Advertiser can reveal.

Police have released images after the arrest of a man alleged to be the infamous 'Bicycle Bandit'. Picture: SA Police

A man who police allege is the infamous Bicycle Bandit, responsible for a series of armed bank robberies across the state over more than a decade, was a police officer before the crime spree, The Advertiser can reveal.

The man was a police officer for seven years prior to his alleged offending.

He then joined the Metropolitan Fire Service for 12 to 13 years. He was a firefighter at the time of some of the alleged offending.

Police allege the armed robber known as the Bicycle Bandit used a Chinese semiautomatic rifle in all of his crimes.

Police revealed on Sunday that they recovered six unregistered rifles when Serious and Organised Crime branch detectives arrested their suspect at his O’Sullivan Beach home on Friday.

It comes as neighbours told The Advertiser of how the dramatic arrest unfolded with five police cars swooping on the Sunset Court property early in the morning.

Neighbours of the 73-year-old man said about five police cars and armed police stormed the residence on Friday morning and arrested the man they thought of as a “nice guy”.

“He’s a really nice guy and is with the local church,” one neighbour said. “His wife is really nice too.”

The woman said she believes the elderly man is unwell but was unsure as to his diagnosis.

Another neighbour told The Advertiser of her shock when she saw police cars lined on the quiet cul-de-sac two days ago.

“Five cars pulled up and they had guns on their belts,” she said.

Detective Superintendent Billy Thompson said police will allege the robber used a Chinese semiautomatic SKK 7.62 rifle on each occasion to threaten staff and customers.

He said the search of the man’s house uncovered ammunition and six unregistered rifles.

The man has been formally charged with 10 counts of aggravated robbery using a firearm and one count of attempted aggravated robbery using a firearm in connection with what police allege was his decade-long reign of terror, which stretched from Willunga, south of Adelaide, through to Balaklava, north of Adelaide.

Detective Superintendent Thompson said the SKK 7.62 rifle, allegedly used, was of particular interest to investigators.

“I hope it will go some way to bringing relief to all the victims who were affected,” he said.

He said investigators would reach out to those victims over the next few days.

Detective Superintendent Thompson revealed that after almost 20 years of investigation, the man became a person of interest to the inquiry only very recently.

“A combination of forensic evidence, circumstantial evidence, physical evidence and witness evidence with good investigations led to the arrest,” he said.

He said police will allege the offender may have targeted the banks because of their rural location.

“They were safe targets for him,” he said.

Police have released images of guns and CCTV vision from one of the robberies. Picture: SA Police

“This person clearly thought well through what he was going to do on each (alleged) offence.”

Detective Superintendent Thompson said this was probably the longest ongoing serious organised crime investigation in South Australia of this nature.

“The fact that it was a lone man on each occasion with the SKK 7.62, the modus operandi around there on each robbery was very similar, and that’s why Operation Coy was born, because we knew we had a serial bank robber.” he said

“The arrest on Friday closes another chapter in this long-running investigation.”

He said there was a “sense of relief” among the investigators. ”The team are very very happy with it,” he said of the arrest.

Detective Superintendent Thompson said the arrest was “smooth”, and investigators allege it was one individual acting alone.

Police were not surprised to find the alleged did not have any help, he said.

“We’ve known about it from early in the series that it was one individual acting alone,” he said.

The man is expected to face the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday.

The breakthrough arrest follows extensive reviews of the case by detectives attached to Operation Coy, which was established in the early stages of the bandit’s holdup spree after the robberies were linked to a common offender.