The Oxley Rural Crime Unit is investigating the theft of an excavator and plant carrier trailer from Coates Hire on the Kamilaroi Highway outside Gunnedah.
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Detective Senior Constable Scott Kellahan was on the scene at the Gunnedah business yesterday conducting inquiries.
The equipment, worth a combined $36,000, was taken from the compound between 6pm on Tuesday and 7am on Wednesday.
Police say the offenders cut a hole through the security fence and hooked the plant trailer up to a vehicle before cutting the lock on the gates and driving off.
“We’re following up a number of inquiries and the area has been canvassed, but we haven’t recovered the equipment,” Detective Kellahan said.
The $30,000 Caterpillar LS excavator is used for earthworks and is hired by the mines and the general public.
It follows a spate of rural thefts in the Gunnedah region in the past week.
Detective Kellahan also went to a property on Wean Rd, where a house was turned upside down and a number of items were stolen, including three firearms, tools and cash, between 6.30am and 6pm on Tuesday.
He said rural theft had been on the increase in the Gunnedah region and it was reflective of what is happening nationally.
“These people offload equipment quickly to obtain fast cash,” Detective Kellahan said.
He echoed the words of fellow rural crime detective Les Wallace and Gunnedah duty officer Inspector Paul Johnson that the crimes were opportunistic and landholders must report incidents quickly so investigators could obtain any physical evidence.
