10 August 2018

$100k in damages inflicted on Henry Rolland Park in brazen daylight robbery

| Lachlan Roberts
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City Renewal Authority chief executive Malcolm Snow at the scene of the crime. Photo Supplied

Canberra’s newest park has suffered $100,000 in damages after vandals stole brass materials from the West Basin’s Henry Rolland Park facilities in broad daylight.

A City Renewal Authority spokeswoman said they received a phone call early last night reporting the damage to the park where brass had been removed from 26 benches, 21 bollards, three bins and two drinking fountains.

A statement released by the City Renewal Authority said it was a “saddening act of vandalism and theft” which they had reported to ACT Policing.

“It is disappointing that someone would steal public assets and vandalise the park, created for the enjoyment of everyone,” the statement said.

Police officers this morning surveying the damage. Photo Supplied

Photo: George Tsotsos.

Photo: George Tsotsos

The authority is currently working on making the area safe for the community and is considering their options to replace the stolen brass and restore the park.

The waterfront community park will stay open.

If anyone witnessed the crime or has any information that may assist, please contact ACT Police on 1800 333 000.

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Whitepointer5:38 am 12 Aug 18

Yes it really sux that low lifes do this sort of thing but seriously, it is a well known practice. Surely the question has to be asked as to why this material would be specified by the designers?

Capital Retro8:54 am 11 Aug 18

Obviously by someone aware it was there and how it was installed e.g. with glue, then knowing how easy it would be to remove with a $5.00 pry bar from the local hardware shop.

I suggest investigators check past form of people who worked on the job installing.

If the value of the stuff stolen was $100K I think the the ACT Ratepayers paid too much for it in the first place.

Brass was also take from the train museum before it closed.

I dont see why these were made in brass in such a detachable way. The bigger crime was it being installed in the first place. Waste of money.

If you can steal and damage $100K worth of stuff from a public park in daylight, it makes me think no-one was using this park despite the weather being OK.
Huge waste of money; I say remove the pile of junk and just let it return to grass and trees.

Put on the hi-vis, have the right tools, look like you know what you’re doing – who can tel the difference from someone actually doing a job. That’s not to say the you and A_Cog aren’t right too – another ACT government waste of money.

Desperate times. I wonder if the thieves are going without decent housing, mental healthcare…

… and you could argue that the real thieves are those that built a multi-million dollar park in the middle of nowhere using my rates, as some cynical publicly funded PR exercise to jump-start the west basin development, which once again, rips off the public for a private benefit funneled to developers.

Is commonwealth park also a waste seeing its in the middle of nowhere. Maybe we should just tear it all up and build some waterfront homes or mansions seeing we all hate appartments so much

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