Burglar hits Dutch car washes
Several car washes in the north of The Netherlands have faced a wave of burglaries in recent weeks. Vending machines at car washes in different locations have repeatedly been broken open or simply pulled from the walls. The police see a clear pattern.
“Last night we had a burglary for the sixth time. With a lot of damage as a result,” says Autowasstraat Hoogezand on Facebook. Last week, they shared surveillance footage on social media, calling to see if anyone recognizes the person or vehicle – a striking camper van. The footage shows the perpetrator entering the premises, getting out and pulling a vending machine off the wall.
On previous break-ins, the wipes vending machine and the lock on the vacuum cleaners were damaged and opened. “Those vending machines take fifty (euro)cents,” co-owner Leonie Blaauw tells RTV Noord. “We empty these every night, so there’s not much to loot, five euros at most.” Still, according to Blaauw, the damage is extensive. The wipes machine is beyond repair and the water dispenser was taken by the perpetrator.
Suspect
Car wash Hoogezand says on social media that they have a pretty clear idea of the suspect. “The police are not very helpful at the moment, but we cannot let this continue,” the update reads. “Should this person come to us again, we will publish his name and photo.”
More victims
Carwash Hoogezand is not the only car wash in the region experiencing break-ins. JP’s Carwash in Hoogkerk shared in a Facebook message in early May that they had “unwanted visitors again. At that time, the perpetrator tried to break open the cloth dispenser, which he failed to do. Then the man tried at the ATMs of the wash boxes.
In recent weeks, the perpetrator visited JP’s Carwash four times. Meanwhile, because of the many burglaries and the damage caused by this, the carwash is forced to remove the cash drawers of the wash boxes at 6 p.m.
Another car wash that was fisted several times by (probably) the same teeth is Batterman in Winsum. He went by at least two times.
No arrest has been made at present.
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