Hallam Recreation Reserve Committee of Management president Ian Baker is left frustrated after yet another burglary at the Frawley Road clubrooms occurred last week. Picture: Luke Plummer.By Callan Date
THE Hallam Recreation Reserve is under attack.
The home base of several local cricket, football, tennis and netball teams was broken into for the third time in the past 18 months last Friday morning.
Several slabs of alcohol were stolen in the latest raid that happened about 2.20am.
The Frawley Road building was also damaged during the burglary with a steel-clad door jemmied off its frame.
Police were called to the scene, but the offenders had fled before they arrived.
Hallam Recreation Reserve Committee of Management president Ian Baker said club members were again left angry after last week’s incident.
Mr Baker said each burglary had occurred during a school-holiday period, with children appearing to be the culprits on each occasion.
“It is almost a regular occurrence over the school holidays,” he said.
“The past two occasions have been alcohol related. It just seems to be local kids bored.”
Mr Baker said the thieves appeared well prepared for the latest burglary.
“They have taken a four foot jemmy bar with them. To get enough pressure on the door it would easily have been that big.
“They did an awful lot of damage to the fridge just to get the alcohol out of it,” he said.
Police said the culprits had also tried to gain access to the kitchen area of the clubrooms, where more alcohol was stored, but were unsuccessful.
“Last time (the point of entry) was through the window, so we made it more secure. We have been making security improvements to the building over the past couple of years, including steel-clad doors around the premises.”
Mr Baker said the latest setback had left club volunteers despondent.
“It is extremely frustrating – we are just volunteers and nobody gets paid. It’s a lot of work as it is and to have this on top of it all it is extremely frustrating,” he said.
“We are a community based organisation. It just adds more burden to the sporting clubs when these things happen.”
Anyone with information about the break-in is asked to contact Narre Warren Police on 9705 3114.
