A man has been arrested in Melbourne over multiple armed robberies at a club and a pub as two men remain on the run from police in Sydney, amid an increase in robbery-related crime in the eastern states.
Detectives from the Armed Crime Squad charged a 42-year-old man over robberies at two licensed venues last month.
According to detectives, a man allegedly entered the Lara Hotel about 5.40pm on 15 August, where he threatened a female staff member at gunpoint. She was not injured, but he escaped with cash.
The same man is believed to have repeated the offense at the Kyneton RSL about 9.20am on 23 August, where he allegedly threatened another female staff member with a firearm. Again, the employee was not injured and the bandit escaped with an amount of cash.
Just one day after the incident at the RSL, detectives arrested a man from Woori Yallock at a pub on Melbourne’s Clarendon Street.
He was subsequently charged with two counts of armed robbery, three counts of possess/carry/use handgun, as well as with possess testosterone and possess cocaine.
He appeared before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Saturday 24 August, where he was denied bail.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Victoria recorded a 30 per cent increase in the number of victims of robbery in 2023 (to 2,976), although this is still 23 per cent lower than 2019 figures (3,854).
New South Wales saw a five per cent decrease in armed robbery last year, to 885, but a 13 per cent increase in victims of unarmed robbery, to 1,316 (totalling 2,201). The same period in Queensland recorded 3,235 victims of robbery, being a 17 per cent increase from 2022.
Meanwhile, according to reports, two armed men entered the Livingstone Hotel in Sydney’s inner west around 1am on Tuesday, 27 August.
The men allegedly pointed guns in the faces of patrons and demanded cash from staff, before fleeing in a car with an unspecified amount of money.
Police were called to the Petersham pub, and took statements. Patrons and staff were shocked, but no-one was physically injured.
Forensic detectives arrived onsite and began conducting investigations, including dusting for fingerprints and looking at CCTV.
The pub is open until 4am.
Anybody with information or dashcam footage of the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
