Stolen tools Toowoomba: Police ask tradies who have equipment stolen to come forward

Detectives investigating the theft of a fridge from the back of a ute uncovered two sites where a thief was warehousing hundreds of tools that he had nicked from hardworking tradies as far back at March this year.

Police have seized hundreds of stolen tools after raids on two Harristown properties. They have urged tradies who have had gear stolen to contact the Toowoomba Police Station.

Police have asked tradesmen that have had their tools or equipment stolen in the past year to contact the Toowoomba Police Station after detectives uncovered hundreds of items in two raids.

Officers from the Toowoomba Property Crime Unit are still cataloguing the haul but it is estimated to be worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Brian Collins said police were investigating the theft of a fridge from the back of a ute when they came across the cache.

“On Tuesday afternoon detectives from the Toowoomba Property Crime Unit executed a search warrant at a Harristown address and located a number items of stolen property including, power tools, battery tools, garden tools, and various other items of stolen property,” he said.

“Further investigations have led to police executing a second warrant at a storage container at a Harristown address where another large amount of stolen property was located.”

As a result police arrested a 28-year-old Harristown man and charged him with 13 offences, including stealing and entering a premises and committing an indictable offence.

He was brought before Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Wednesday where he was granted bail to appear in the same court on November 9.

It is expected police will lay further charges as they sift through the stolen property.

Sgt Collins said police suspected the man acted alone and had been hoarding the stolen tools as far back as March.

“We believe he sold some of them,” he said.

Most were stolen from the backs of utes either at night or while they parked at worksites across the city.

The arrest serves as a timely reminder to keep tools locked up.

“Make sure that you have your tools securely locked or even better, garaged and just be mindful of them while working,” Sgt Collins said.