A 37-year-old male was arrested at Narrandera Police Station by  police from the Griffith Target Action Group and was later charged in relation to the break and enter at the Barellan & District War Memorial Club that occurred in the early hours of the morning on Thursday, January 22.

The man was also charged with two outstanding First Instance Warrants and was refused bail.

Club manager Mel Irvin said earlier this week the break in had rocked the tight knit community of Barellan.

Ms Irvin said there was no sign of forced entry to the safe. The thief stole about $3000.

She called police and reviewed CCTV footage from the night before.

“We saw he was outside of the club for about 40 minutes,” she said.

Ms Irvin said the man forced his way into the club via a window. 

“We saw him crawling across the dance floor,” she said.

“He crawled behind the bar area and checked a few cupboards.”

Ms Irvin said the man did not activate the alarm system when he was crawling.

However, when he stood up it was activated.

Ms Irvin said the man was wearing a hoodie and red gloves and had distinctive tattoos on his right leg.

“We’re all in shock,” she said. 

“Barellan needs a full-time police officer.

“People know there’s not any here and that’s why things are happening.”

A number of readers expressed concerns on The Area News Facebook page.

“It’s disgraceful when you can’t feel safe within your community,” Carl Kellie said.

He said he believed all towns should have at least one police officer.

Ms Irvin said she was nervous about returning to work, but security had been significantly bolstered after the incident.

“Police say they have some suspects,” she said.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Griffith police on 6969 4299 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.