A man has faced additional charges following an investigation into a break and enter in the state's north.
Between Friday 26 April 2019 and Thursday 2 May 2019, police will allege a property on Forest Road, New Italy, was broken into, with a number of items stolen including three firearms, collectable coins and Australian service medals.
Officers from the Rural Crime Prevention Team attached to Richmond Police District commenced an investigation and following inquiries, recovered the collectable coins and service medal on Monday 13 May 2019 and one of the firearms – a 0.303 Royal Enfield rifle – on Tuesday 14 May 2019.
About 8.30am on Monday 20 May 2019, investigators arrested a 29-year-old man at a house on Oak Lane, Casino.
He was taken to Casino Police Station and charged with disposing of stolen property and goods in custody suspected of being stolen. The man was refused bail.
Following further inquiries, a second firearm – an unregistered under/over Nikko shotgun – was recovered from a house in Woodburn on Wednesday 5 June 2019.
Investigators laid additional charges yesterday (Wednesday 12 June 2019) against the 29-year-old man including break enter and steal, possess stolen firearms, unauthorised possession of firearms and possession of an unregistered firearm. The man remains bail refused to appear in Lismore Local Court on Tuesday 9 July 2019.
The owner of the unregistered firearm, a 43-year-old man, was issued a Future Court Attendance Notice for possess unregistered firearm.
Investigations by the Rural Crime Prevention Team into the whereabouts of the third firearm continue.
Operation Armour was launched in June 2019 and is an ongoing police operation taking place across regional and rural areas of NSW, to ensure the safe storage of firearms by licensed firearm holders.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Lismore Police Station on (02) 6626 0599 Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
More information about responsibilities as a firearms owner, including licences, permits; sale and purchase, and safe storage can be found at the Firearms Registry page on the NSW Police Force website: https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/online_services/firearms
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence.
