Northern Territory police are reviewing CCTV footage depicting three teenage thieves who ram-raided a venue in Darwin’s rural area in the early hours of yesterday morning. The thieves used a ute to batter in the roller door to the Howard Springs Tavern and made off with cigarettes and alcohol.
As readers can see in the footage below (courtesy of ABC), the three thieves, two of whom are obscured by makeshift balaclavas, made several attempts to break down the roller door with a black four-wheel drive ute, before entering into the pub and making off with merchandise.
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Matt Dowling, owner of the Howard Springs Tavern, which regularly hosts live musicians and presents a regular Month of Music program, told the ABC that the thieves made off with several hundreds of dollars worth of alcohol and cigarettes, but that the damage to the property would cost several thousand dollars to repair.
“We’re still doing stocktake to find out what was stolen,” the publican told NT News. According to Dowling, this was the second time in just 18 months that the pub has been targeted, but police are currently in the process of reviewing the CCTV footage.
Superintendent Del Jones of the NT Police said residents at Howard Springs Tavern heard “alarms sounding and tyres screeching” at around 3am on Tuesday and that police are looking to speak with three young men seen driving away from the area in a “blue Mitsubishi or Nissan utility”.
Anyone with any information regarding the incident should call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 or Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
