Police in Western Australia’s Goldfields have taken a man into custody hours after Norseman’s only supermarket was targeted in a brazen ram raid overnight.
According to WA Police, a man reversed his Nissan Navara utility through the front door of the council-owned supermarket at 2:20am.
It caused extensive damage to the glass doors and frames and the offender stole various items before leaving.
A police spokeswoman told the ABC a man was taken into custody just after 9:30am.
Police said the man was assisting police with their investigation.
Shire of Dundas president Laurene Bonza said council workers were on the scene trying to make the area safe so the supermarket could reopen.
“You’ve heard of the term criminal mastermind — well, this wasn’t one of those,” she said.
“They’ve taken out the front door, which in turn has brought down part of the ceiling.
“We won’t be able to open the shop this morning.”
‘Selfish’ and ‘stupid’
Cr Bonza said it was too early to estimate the damage bill.
“It impacts the entire community — and for what?” she said.
“It’s not acceptable behaviour … it’s really disappointing that someone is selfish enough and stupid enough to do that.
“There are CCTV cameras all around there, so it’s probably only a matter of time before they are caught … they didn’t even steal anything of great value.
“It’s just a pointless exercise, really.”
The Shire of Dundas purchased the Norseman IGA last year in a bid to create a new income stream.
The $1.43-million deal included the town’s only supermarket, a house valued at $185,000, and the post office.
The council assumed ownership at the start of September.