Walky talky thieves caught by skate park invitation

An attempt by a group of children to steal five two-way radios from the local pools came unstuck last week when police officers used another radio to invite the group down to the skate park — catching them red-handed.

The four children, aged between 10 and 11, broke into the South Hedland Aquatic Centre on Sunday, May 17 and stole the radios, valued at $400 each.

South Hedland police Senior Sergeant Dean Snashall said the group fled the scene after the alarm went off.

“What attending police officers have then done is they’ve borrowed a radio from the (office) key-holder when he’s arrived,” he said.

“(They’ve) taken the exact same radio out and went down to the skate park and told (the children there) to call their friends on the radio.

“Their friends have come down to the skate park and had the stolen radios on them.”

The four children were issued cautions. [|]