By Chris Nicholls
TOOWOOMBA, QUEENSLAND: A department store loss prevention officer arrested after stealing from Harvey Norman Toowoomba on Wednesday has emerged as a serial shoplifter, with approximately $50,000 of allegedly stolen goods later found at her home.
Toowoomba Police Criminal Investigation Branch detective, senior constable Mark Neville, told Current.com.au that police arrested the 61-year-old after she was chased from the store by two staff, suspected of stealing two hard drives.
Police conducted a search of her handbag and car after her arrest, in which they will allege they found the stolen goods, and which prompted them to execute a search warrant on her house.
Snr Const Neville said the raid revealed “thousands” of items, which the police will allege were stolen, ranging from toys and bedding to clothes and of course, electrical goods.
Police said many of the items still had their price tags attached.
Snr Const Neville said the woman had only been charged with one count of stealing for the Harvey Norman theft and had not been charged in regard to the items seized from her house.
The 61-year-old detainee was, according to a report in The Toowoomba Chronicle, where the story was first published, regarded as a “super sleuth”, with an “impressive record of catching would-be thieves”.
“You could say this situation is rather unusual. We rarely find this amount of items as a result of shoplifting,” said Snr Const Neville.
A Harvey Norman Toowoomba staff member, when questioned on the theft, said he could not comment before hanging up.