By Conor Sharkey
A LINK between a number of burglaries in Strabane at the weekend has not been ruled, the PSNI has said.
Detectives in Strabane are investigating three burglaries in all, two on Sunday night and a third on Monday night. All three incidents took place in the Melmount area of the town.
Sometime between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, thieves broke into and ransacked business premises on the Orchard Road. A pair of two-way radios were taken during the burglary.
In a second incident on the same night, the Melmount Centre was broken into and a substantial amount of alcohol and a small amount of cash taken.
Police say they are investigating the possibility of a link between the robberies.
Meanwhile on Monday night/Tuesday morning, a separate burglary took place at a veterinary practice on the Orchard Road. A till containing a small amount of cash was reported missing.
The Melmount Centre has long suffered at the hands of vandals however the weekend break-in was a first for the Scout group that regularly use it.
Burglars made their entry through a toilet window before heading directly for the bar. They smashed their way into a store and made off with a substantial amount of alcohol. In a new low, the thieves also took a small amount of cash belonging to young members of the Scouts group.
Scouts leader Majella McCallion said the burglars knew exactly what they were looking for.
"It was very methodical. They knew exactly how to get in and what they wanted. We lost four tills and an amount of drink but most things were left intact. So it looks like they were just after the drink and they knew exactly where it was stored," she explained.
Vowing not to let the burglars win, Mrs McCallion added: "You just have to wonder what these people are thinking. But then you realise that it was us this week and someone else next week. We aren't people or an organisation to whoever did this. They just thought to themselves 'we want something and we'll have it'. Whoever it was isn't upset or annoyed by their actions.
"But it's business as usual for us. The Scouts are still on as normal and the hall is still open. We'll just take a deep breath and carry on," she said.
Meanwhile, the police have issued an appeal for information about the weekend spate of burglaries.
" Anyone with information regarding any of these burglaries is asked to contact CID on 0845 600 8000. Alternatively information can be passed anonymously through 'Crimestoppers' on freephone 0800 555 111," a spokesperson said.
