A Shepparton tradie is upset after two pieces of his machinery were stolen from two separate job sites in less than two months.
Damien Preston said in the most recent theft, his Kubota SVL-75 skid steer was stolen from a work site in Kialla between 5pm Friday, December 13, and 6pm Saturday, December 14.
Mr Preston said the skid steer and other machinery had been left at the work site at Edgewater Creek Reserve in Seven Creeks Dve, as work was continuing.
The theft came after another piece of his machinery was stolen from a different site about two months earlier.
On that occasion, an orange roller was stolen from a site in New Dookie Rd at Shepparton about 7.30pm on October 17.
The thief initially drove it off down nearby streets.
Mr Preston has been left frustrated by the thefts, which have not only left him out of pocket, but have also held up jobs at a busy time of the year.
Instead of using his own machinery, he has had to scramble to hire equipment to enable him to complete work.
This all adds to the extra costs the theft has meant for his business, Preston’s Turf and Gardens.
Insurance also does not cover the entire cost of buying new machinery, leaving Mr Preston out-of-pocket thousands of dollars.
“The insurances cover a certain amount but with price rises in equipment, replacement value is more than the market value,” he said.
He is also anticipating his insurance premiums will skyrocket next year after having to make claims for the stolen equipment.
“It’s going up all the time and these sort of instances don’t help at all,” he said.
“It’s very disappointing that there are people in the community that think they can help themselves to other people’s stuff.”
Mr Preston said the thefts were not just opportunistic, as trucks would have been needed to transport the machinery.
“It’s obviously an organised thing,” he said.
“These people are watching for equipment left on site. There’s obviously surveillance.
“It’s more than an opportunistic crime because they have to be organised with trucks to move the equipment.”
Mr Preston is not the only victim of machinery theft in Greater Shepparton in the past few months.
He said he knew of another contractor who had a bobcat stolen from the corner of Poplar Ave and Orrvale Rd at Orrvale on October 16 — the night before his roller was taken.
And a Kanga Mini Loader digger and two trailers were among items stolen from the Victorian Agriculture Research Centre on Ferguson Rd around 3.40am on Friday, October 4.
Anyone in Seven Creeks Dve or Lorikeet Ave who saw an orange skid steer being driven down their street on Friday night or Saturday, or who has CCTV footage of it, or who just saw anything suspicious in the area at the time, should contact Detective Acting Sergeant Matt Clowes at Shepparton police on 5820 5777 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestoppersvic.com.au
Anyone who knows anything about any of the other machinery thefts in the area should also contact police.