ACT Policing is seeking witnesses to an aggravated burglary at the Goldcurves studio on Wollongong Street in Fyshwick this morning (Saturday, July 14).

Around 6.15am, two men rang the studio’s doorbell, not realising it was closed. One of the men kicked in a rear door, allowing both men to enter the studio, before being chased out by two of the owners.

A fight occurred between the two men and the two owners in the front car park on Wollongong Street. One of the owners was hit over the back of his head by a glass bottle and the other owner was punched in the face.

Both men fled the scene on foot in an unknown direction. The two owners were taken to The Canberra Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during the fight.

The two men were described as Caucasian in appearance, about 183cm (6’0”) tall with a heavy build, short hair and spoke with an Irish accent. One of the men was wearing a blue T-Shirt. The other man was wearing a white T-Shirt and a blue beanie and had tattoos on both of his arms.

ACT Policing is investigating two aggravated robberies in Canberra’s south last night (Friday, July 13).

Around 8pm, a man armed with a knife entered the IGA supermarket in Gordon and demanded cash. He was given an amount of cash and left the store on foot.

The man is described as approximately 178cm (5’10”) tall, with a medium build. He was wearing a black hooded jumper, black pants, white shoes, a white balaclava and white gloves. He was last seen running towards Fingleton Crescent in Gordon.

In a separate incident around 8.35pm, a man entered the Woolworths supermarket in Calwell and approached an employee, demanding cash from the register. He was given an amount of cash and ran out of the supermarket.

The man was described as approximately 183cm (6’) tall, aged in his twenties, with a thin to medium build and was wearing a white and blue chequered hooded jumper and long pants. He was last seen running past the Calwell Tavern.

No one was injured in either of the aggravated robberies.

ACT Policing has issued its online crime statistics for the second quarter of 2012, reflecting a decline in most offence types reported to police, including assaults, sexual assaults, robberies and burglaries, but an increase in motor vehicle thefts when compared with the same period (April to June) last year.

Assaults in the inner south fell by 56 per cent, property damage by 34 per cent, and general (other than motor vehicle) theft by 25 per cent. The inner north experienced declines in every category aside from motor vehicle theft and road collisions with injury.

While all areas of Canberra have shown a general decrease in crime in these quarters from 2011 to 2012, some localised areas have seen spikes in specific crime types.

Tuggeranong for example experienced an increase in vehicle theft from 52 vehicles in the second quarter of 2011, to 94 in the corresponding period this year. Woden’s vehicle thefts also rose from 31 to 51, with burglaries in the inner south rising by 34 per cent. ACT Policing attributes these localised rises to a small number of active offenders on the south side in this quarter.

As has been the case historically, the entertainment and retail precincts in the City area remain a hot spot for offences with assaults increasing from 72 in the second quarter of 2011 to 86 for the same period this year. General theft however (other than motor vehicles) remains stable with 193 reported incidents in the corresponding 2011 quarter and 194 this quarter. All other offence/incident types are stable in number except for burglaries in the city which fell from 22 in the 2011 quarter to just eight in this years’ quarter.

Acting Superintendent Chris Meagher said that the latest quarter statistics can reflect seasonal differences such as the reduction in pedestrian traffic and general activity with the onset of cooler weather, but he was encouraged by the direct quarter comparison, in which serious crime types, including offences against people, showed a decline.

“ACT Policing has now honed its intelligence-driven model and the second quarter data shows this approach is working well,” Acting Superintendent Meagher said.

“We recognise the potential for offences and incidents to spike in specific areas, sometimes as a result of an increase in offending activity by a small group of recidivist offenders, and with small sample sizes, percentage increases or decreases can be skewed. Reporting methodology may also affect the consistency of crime statistics, so Canberrans need to understand that statistics are a broad guide to crime rates.”

He said that an example of how the reporting of the CrimeStatistics by offence and incident type can vary is in the road toll, which in the current online data numbers four fatalities for 2012, but the actual number is five tragic deaths.

“The unlisted fifth road death occurred on a rural road far to the south of Canberra, outside the suburbs defined on the ACT Policing website. This data reporting anomaly is one of several identified and will be addressed in future renditions of CrimeStatistics,” Acting Superintendent Meagher said.

The interactive CrimeStatistics were launched earlier this year and provide community members two different methods to analyse crime rates occurring in their neighbourhood — ‘incident  rates’ and ‘rates per 1000 population’ (except for suburbs  with populations less than 350), and enable a quarter by quarter comparison.

“ACT Policing only recently introduced the interactive CrimeStatistics, and we are constantly refining and making improvements to the statistics. We welcome any recommendations or suggestions which could improve the user’s experience,” Acting Superintendent Meagher said.

The interactive CrimeStatistics can be found at police.act.gov.au.

ACT Policing is calling for witnesses to an aggravated robbery at the BWS liquor store in Kaleen last night, (Thursday July 5).

Two employees were taking a cigarette break out the front of the store when two men ran into the store from an alleyway. The two men ran behind the counter and attempted to open the two tills themselves without success.

One of the men ran back outside holding a knife towards one of the employees saying “give me all the money,” to which the employee went into the store and handed over the notes in the till. The offenders then demanded cigarettes, which were also handed over; they then left the store in an unknown direction.

The first male is described as having a slim build, 170-175cm tall, olive skin, wearing a grey jumper with a white logo on the right shoulder, dark track pants with two brown stripes down the leg, blue underwear, black gloves, light coloured shoes and a white scarf/shirt around his neck covering his face. He spoke with an Australian accent.

The second male is described as having a large overweight build, 180-185cm tall, wearing a dark zip hooded jacket, dark blue long pants (possibly denim), white and dark coloured shoes (similar to a Dunlop volley), white gloves and a mask over his head similar to the mask worn in the movie ‘scream’.

ACT Policing is seeking witnesses to an aggravated robbery in Kingston (Saturday, June 30).

Police specifically would like to speak to the two women pictured as they may have seen the offender leave the premises.

About 2.30pm on Saturday 30 June, a man entered the Kingston Hotel bottle shop on the corner of Giles and Oxley Streets. He produced a knife and demanded the shop assistant hand over the contents of the till.

The offender then left the bottle shop with a sum of cash. He turned right, heading towards Oxley Street.

The offender is described as Caucasian in appearance, 170cm tall (5’7”) with a medium build. He was wearing a red and black hooded top, blue tracksuit pants with two white stripes down the side and black sunglasses.

Police believe two women who entered the bottle shop soon after may have seen the offender and be able to provide police with information that could assist them in their investigations.

ACT Policing  is seeking witnesses to an aggravated robbery at the Liquor Legends store in  Hawker last night (Monday, 18 June).

ACT Policing is seeking assistance in identifying the woman pictured below who attempted to rob the Shabby Attic store at the Carleton Shops in Kambah earlier this week (Tuesday, June 12).

About 1.30pm the woman entered the store on Carleton Street in Kambah armed with a knife. She approached the shop owner and demanded money. The shop owner refused to hand over any money and a short struggle ensued.

The shop owner managed to push the offender out of the shop and lock the door. The offender was last seen running across Boddington Circuit towards the Kambah ovals.

The offender is described as of Aboriginal appearance, about 163cm (5’4”) tall with a large build.

ACT Policing is seeking witnesses to an attempted aggravated robbery which occurred at the Carleton shops in Kambah yesterday afternoon (Tuesday, June 12).

About 1.30pm a woman entered Shabby Attic café and homewares store on Carleton Street in Kambah armed with a knife. She approached the shop owner and demanded money. After the shop owner refused to hand over any money, the offender grabbed her and a short struggle ensued.

The shop owner managed to push the offender out of the shop and lock the door. The offender was last seen running across Boddington Circuit towards the Kambah ovals.

Detective Superintendent Brett McCann said that your personal safety should always be fully considered in incidents like this.

“There is no point putting your life in danger over any amount of cash or property,” he said.

Police believe that a number of people were walking and driving in the area at the time and may be able to assist with the investigation.

ACT Policing is seeking witnesses to an aggravated robbery which occurred at Canberra Cellars in Belconnen last night (Monday, June 11).

About 10.55pm a man entered the store on Luxton Street in Belconnen armed with a knife. He approached a staff member and demanded he place the till into a black duffel bag he had placed on the counter. The staff member complied with the demand and placed the tray from the till containing a sum of cash into the bag. The offender then left the store and was seen running towards Totterdell Street.

The offender is described as approximately 183cm (6’) tall, with a slim build. He was wearing a dark coloured hooded jumper, dark coloured pants and had a white mask covering his face. He was also wearing a pair of white gloves.

ACT Policing has arrested a 21-year-old man following an attempted aggravated robbery at Dominos Pizza in Fyshwick yesterday afternoon (June 5).

Around 5.15pm the man entered the store in Yallourn Street armed with a blood filled syringe. With his face concealed, he demanded an amount of cash from one of the store’s employees.

The male employee refused to hand over any money and instead chased the offender from the store. The employee continued to chase the offender across Canberra Avenue until the offender entered a unit in the Canberra South Motor Park.

A short time later police located the offender at a unit within the caravan park. He was subsequently arrested and taken to the City Police Station.

Detective Sergeant Tony Crocker said that while the victim’s actions contributed to the arrest, personal safety should be fully considered in incidents such as this.

“Although the actions of the employee enabled police to identify the offender and make a quick arrest, the safety of any victim is always our number one priority,” he said.

The man was charged with attempted aggravated robbery and will face the ACT Magistrates Court today.