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A number of license plate thefts has struck Griffith again, with two sets of plates going missing from outside Lanham's Motor Group, as well as private vehicles in Griffith's industrial areas.
Griffith recently faced a similar string just a month ago, when a number of plates stolen. Gary Delpiano lost his plates then, and was dismayed to find that his license plates were targeted again.
Stuart Lanham from Lanham's Motor Group said they lost two plates over July 17 and 18 but had CCTV footage of the crime.
"I turned up to work and the cars had no license plates. We've got CCTV of it all, it's currently with police."
He estimated the cost of replacing the plates to be around $300, and added that based on what he'd seen and heard of, the criminals might have ten or fifteen sets.
He was primarily worried about what opportunists might do with the plates now that they have them, however.
"You can commit a crime and when the rego number is reported, it shows that it's not from that car ... Just adds a little bit of time. It's a means to an end for them to not look as suspicious," he said.
"If the cops pull you up, it's a different story though."
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Inspector Kim Traynor confirmed that police are looking into the matter.
"We've been getting a number stolen not just in Griffith but in the whole Murrumbidgee area ... There's a number of reasons why this might be occurring," she said.
"Police are monitoring the situation in relation to the number and frequency that it's occurring. It's not unique to Griffith."
She added that police have recovered a number of plates, both already attached to vehicles and by themselves. Some remain outstanding, however.
Inspector Traynor suggested anyone worried about theft look into specialised anti-theft screws.
"You can get specialised anti-theft nuts to screw your number plates on with so you need a specific tool to unscrew them. You can get them through hardware stores ... in some areas, they've encouraged that."
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