Thieves cracked a safe and lit a fire in the office of the Scully Park Pool overnight on Tuesday, getting away with a significant amount of cash.
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It is believed the thieves went over the fence and forced entry into the office, before using an angle grinder, or similar, to cut into the metal safe.
Tamworth Regional Council Sport and Rec manager Paul Kelly said “the fire may have occurred as a result of the use of an angle grinder”, but it did not appear to have caused any structural or significant damage.
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Meanwhile, a malfunctioning pump at the city pool resulted in a lowering of the chlorine level, meaning both pools remained closed until 10am Wednesday morning.
The time of the Scully Park theft is unknown; however, Oxley police and the fire brigade were notified early on Wednesday morning when staff opening the facility saw the blaze and discovered the damage.
“This is really unfortunate and, really, it is just not acceptable for a community facility like that to be broken into,” Mr Kelly said.
“At this point in time, we will let the authorities do their investigation and their job and wait to see what they say – we will also be looking at nearby CCTV cameras to identify any further factors.”
Unfortunately this is not the first time the Scully Park Pool has been broken into, but it is the most serious of the breaches.
TRC is now looking at a variety of avenues, including the installation of CCTV cameras, to mitigate any future damage and loss.
“We have had minor break-ins before, but this is rather serious, so we will be looking at a number of strategies to increase security,” Mr Kelly said.
“Nothing is off the table at the moment.”
The timing of both incidents could not have been worse, with the region facing a sweltering week of temperatures above the 40-degree mark; however, Mr Kelly was pleased with the swift response of staff members and police.
“At the moment it is hot and dry, and with festival starting we are expecting more patronage,” he said.