According to reports, the suspected thief entered Stefan Jewellers – located at the Centro Galleria shopping centre in Morley – at about 7pm on Thursday 17 October. He is said to have reached behind the counter and taken four rings before escaping.
The man is described as being aged between 25 and 30 years old, 180-190cm tall, with a medium build. He was wearing a long-sleeved grey shirt, white sneakers and a baseball cap.
Just hours later, another jewellery store located in Perth was targeted by thieves. The Shiels Jewellers’ store in the Midland Gate shopping centre was hit at approximately 2am on Friday 18 October.
Police said two offenders smashed through the main doors of the shopping complex before breaking into the jewellery shop, damaging a display case and taking a number of items.
Shiels director Toby Bensimon told Jeweller that while the value of the silver jewellery that was stolen was less than $2,000, the cost to repair the cabinets smashed during the incident would be more than $9,000.
He added that the Midland Gate shopping centre was a “soft target” for thieves and had been hit regularly over the past year because, in his opinion, its security protocols were not up to the standards expected at a major shopping complex.
“If it was my centre I would attempt to fix this problem with impenetrable bollards and 24-hour security surveillance,” Bensimon said, adding, “All of the jewellers in this centre have been targeted and it is surprising that more hasn’t been done to curb this activity.”
A spokesperson for the shopping centre confirmed that the building did have 24-hour on-site security but would not provide any more information about its security protocols.
The two incidents are not believed to be connected. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.