Serial shoplifters go straight from Heidelberg Court to Warringal Shopping Centre to steal

SERIAL shoplifters are going straight from a court in Melbourne’s east to a nearby shopping centre to steal, police say, after they followed a “gut feel” and arrested more than 30 in a sting.

Police say shoplifters are heading straight from Heidelberg Magistrates Court to Warringal Shopping Centre to steal. File photo.

SERIAL shoplifters are going straight from the Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court to the Warringal Shopping Centre to steal, police say.

And the police sting at the busy centre which saw 34 people arrested with nine remanded in custody for a raft of offences including shoplifting, stemmed from a “gut feeling” by police who continued to see “habitual offenders” in the area.

Heidelberg Police Senior Sergeant Justin Goldsmith told Leader that “a large percentage of those arrested during the operation had already been in court that day.”

“We had some offenders who have attended court, had their matters finalised and then gone straight to the shopping centre and allegedly stolen meat from the supermarket, that’s what we’re seeing,” he said.

Sgt Goldsmith said most arrests were for shoplifting and property offences, while some arrests were made for drug possession and outstanding warrants.

He said the shopping centre had been “a regular target of thieves” over the past few months and it was difficult to gauge how big the problem was as “statistics are only recorded when someone is caught.”

“People steal from Aldi and Coles all the time, but it’s not reported because we don’t see it happening.”

Sgt Goldsmith said police would continue to conduct operations at the mall in the future.

Warringal Shopping Centre manager David Knell told Leader there was no reason for shoppers to feel threatened at the centre, but welcomed the police presence.

“The police have certainly been very helpful and we’re glad they come and do it.

“I think that unless they (shoplifters) get caught, they think they can keep doing it over and over, so we’re glad for the sake of the traders.

“We’ve welcomed the police and had positive feedback from our traders and people do like seeing them active in the community.”