Five arrested after Norwood bottle shop targeted in brazen theft

Four young women and an older man have been arrested after about 20 bottles of booze were stolen from a Liquorland off The Parade.

Liquorland at Norwood has been robbed. Picture: Dasha Havrilenko

Five people, one as young as 15, have been arrested after an alleged bottle shop robbery in Adelaide’s east.

A group entered Liquorland bottle shop off The Parade, Norwood at 7.30pm on Thursday and allegedly grabbed about 20 bottles of alcohol before fleeing, police say.

Officers quickly responded and found the group of suspects a short distance from the store.

Four females, aged 15, 17, 18, 20, and a 28-year-old man were arrested and charged with aggravated theft.

The members of the group were all bailed and are set to appear in the Adelaide youth and magistrates courts on March 14.

Earlier this month, an Adelaide bottle shop was robbed for the second time in seven days, after a woman allegedly threatened staff with a screwdriver before stealing alcohol.

A staff member was stabbed with scissors during a separate alleged robbery last week, while another worker suffered a dislocated knee that required surgery.

Australian Hotels Association SA branch chief executive Anna Moeller said the industry was experiencing an increase of liquor thefts.

“One of the things that is the most notable about it is the absolute brazenness of these people,” she said.

“If they don’t come equipped with a weapon which they often do, as soon as they pick up a bottle of alcohol they have one in their hand.”

Ms Moeller said outlets might be seen as soft targets for thieves with staff trained to not intervene in the interest of safety.

“Unfortunately these people are taking advantage of that,” she said.

“(But) industry is doing what it can, a lot of them have security guards on, a lot of stuff is now under lock and key, the layout of the store can help.”

She said the government had introduced tougher penalties including up to seven years’ jail but it was up to the courts to enforce those penalties.

Originally published as Five arrested after Norwood bottle shop targeted in brazen theft