Men queried on break-in attempt

Police expect to charge two men over a brazen attempted break-in at Amity Tavern on Sunday night.

The pair, who have not yet been charged, were caught on CCTV and witnessed by a passer-by attempting to smash a roller door to gain entry to the tavern and bottleshop on the corner of Albany and South Coast highways at about 9.30pm.

The two men attempted to kick in the metal door before trying to push their way through a gap.

Albany police Senior Sergeant Grant Pollard said police were quick to arrive at the scene after the witness called triple-0.

“Police arrived and witnessed two males running from the area where they managed to detain them,” he said.

“Those men are assisting us in our inquiries regarding the matter and we urge anyone who may have witnessed the event to contact Albany police.”

A 20-year-old and 27-year-old, both of Lockyer, are assisting police with inquiries.

Sen. Sgt Pollard was pleased with the outcome of the matter.

“We are really pleased with the result, happy with the outcome and we thank the member of the public who reported it so quickly,” he said.

“We find this sort of behaviour totally unacceptable and we encourage members of the public to always call and report to police if they see anything, so we can respond immediately.”

Amity Tavern owner Kerry Oakley said it was a disappointing and senseless act.

“They have kicked in the door, quite extensively, they must have thought they were invincible because the door was so smashed in; it was unbelievable it was just hanging there,” she said. “I’m just happy they didn’t get in and didn’t manage to take anything.”

Mrs Oakley said she didn’t understand why people targeted businesses and others’ property.

“I just don’t get what the point is; why break in to someone’s business? They are inconveniencing the business owners, it’s such a senseless act and it costs us every time you damage our premises,” she said.

The owners thanked South Coast Security and police for assisting. No charges have been laid and police are continuing with their investigations.