Frustration over investigation into Addington break-ins

The Miller Bar manager Michelle Cattell, and others who work along Lincoln Rd, are frustrated at...
The Miller Bar manager Michelle Cattell, and others who work along Lincoln Rd, are frustrated at efforts from police to catch a man who allegedly broke into cars in the area. Photo: Geoff Sloan
Business owners have criticised the police’s lack of effort to investigate a man who they say broke into staff vehicles.

Michelle Cattell, who manages The Miller Bar on Lincoln Rd, Addington, said she reported to the police there was CCTV footage of the man breaking into an employee’s car in the bar car park on November 11.

But they have not collected it to view it.

She said another bar employee watched the man attempt to break into their car in the car park last week but he stopped when they confronted him.

Cattell said she has not been asked by police to send the CCTV footage to them, and is now puzzled by their response to The Star.

“In the past there have been situations where something’s happened here or something’s happened down the road and they need CCTV footage. I’ve never ever sent it to them. Whenever they’ve needed it, they’ve always come to me and said can you get me the CCTV footage,” she said.

“They haven’t received it because we haven’t had anyone come here to get it like they normally would,” she said.

However, said a police spokeswoman: "Police are more than happy to collect any CCTV or other evidence. However, in this case the victim had agreed to upload the CCTV image and had not advised police that they were having any difficulty doing so."

Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Addington City Motel manager, Andy Tookey, believes the man is staying at his motel, which is about 250m from the Miller Bar.

He was alerted to it by a staff member at the nearby Koji Japanese Buffet restaurant who watched live CCTV footage of his car being broken into.

The restaurant staff member followed the offender to the motel, saw him go into a room, called the police and alerted Tookey.

Tookey also called the police to say the offender was at his motel. Tookey said the police did not respond.

Said the police spokeswoman: “Follow up inquires in relation to the incident outside the Japanese restaurant have established there is no CCTV footage of the initial theft. However, police are following other lines of inquiry.”

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Image: Supplied

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Image: Supplied

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Image: Supplied