Teen arrested after liquor raids | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

Police investigating a string of "smash and grab"-style liquor store raids in the city have arrested a 16-year-old.

The youth was arrested at a Bexley address yesterday and will be charged with burglary.

Police allege he is part of a group of offenders who have targeted liquor stores in suburban parts of the city in the last two to three weeks.

Detective Sergeant Chris Power said about 15 liquor stores had been broken into. Police believe at least three of the burglaries are linked.

In each case the front window of the premises was smashed when the premises were closed and the offenders ran through the store grabbing as much liquor as they could carry, said Detective Sergeant Chris Power.

The offenders were in the store for less than a minute, and some liquor stores had been targeted more than once, he said.

Even security alarms had not deterred them.

Detective Sergeant Power said the cost to liquor store outlets in loss of property and damage would be "many thousands" of dollars.

"We are trying to put the brakes on this thing. We are going through the process of identifying various offenders," he said.

"It's hard (for liquor store owners) to protect themselves against this style of burglar," he said.

"I can imagine they are pretty frustrated with what's been going on, particularly if they have been targeted more than once."

Liquor was seized at the Bexley address as well as at another Bexley address during the execution of a second search warrant yesterday afternoon.

Detective Sergeant Power said police were analysing the other burglaries to see if there was any connection to the three they are treating as related.

He said police would be speaking to others in relation to the break-ins.