Op shop robbery

Op shop robbery

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Willetton op shop supervisor John Pitman said a thief who recently targeted the store and got away with cash should do the right thing and come clean. Photograph - Toby Hussey.

A Willetton op shop employee said he was disappointed after money was stolen from the store last month.

Save The Children Op Shop on High Road in Willetton was robbed on July 19 when a woman grabbed cash from the register while a cashier was distracted.

She was described as about 20-years-old, dark skinned and 150-155cm tall.

Store supervisor John Pitman said about $165 was stolen and he believed the theft was part of a greater crime trend in the area.

“We have had trouble with crime before, but not in the way you would think,” he said.

“They have had our rubbish skip broken into so many times we have given up repairing the lock.”

Mr Pitman said people often dumped domestic waste into commercial rubbish bins in the area before they were locked and as a result the bins had become targets.

“It appears they trawl through our discards in the hope of finding items of interest,” he said.

“The shop next door has had the same problem.

“He used to lock his bins but thieves would jimmy the lock and steal scrap metal.”

Save the Children Australia was founded nearly 100 years ago and is part of a global 30-member Save the Children organisation working in more than 125 countries.

The organisation said it had no affiliation to any political party or religion and donates 73 per cent of all profits directly to programs designed to benefit children.

West Australian Police did not make statistics for stealing available but 99 burglaries were recorded in Willetton between January and June, marginally up on the same period in 2016 and more than 20 per cent higher than in 2015.

An RAC report said last year Willetton was the 12th worst suburb in Perth for home burglary break-ins based on more than 4000 claims.

Mr Pitman said he wished the thief would do the honest thing.

“WA’s terrible economy has caused a lot of petty crime,” he said.

“How about coming and working as a volunteer next time and help someone else rather than yourself.”