Now the hunt is on to catch the masked offenders who stole two cars in East Tamworth before striking the Tamworth Golf Club at 1am yesterday, moving to the nearby South Tamworth Bowling Club 15 minutes later, and then heading across town to hit the Tamworth Hotel.

But the thieves weren’t finished there – they also targeted the United Service Station on Goonoo Goonoo Rd, using a stolen white hatchback to ram through the front windows, and steal the ATM, laden with cash.

“We are appealing, these people have run amok around Tamworth overnight, some people would have seen something going on,” Oxley crime manager Acting Detective Inspector Jason Darcy said yesterday.

“It was a targeted attack with a number of persons.”

The trail of destruction left each business with a costly damage bill, including the service station, which has had to board up the front of the shop.

Yesterday, investigators spent the day trying to find any trace of who was behind the spree, poring over CCTV footage as forensic police scoured each of the crime scenes.

“They were all targeted and we believe they were all linked together with the same people,” Acting Inspector Darcy said.

“Their faces were concealed at the time.

“We’ve been out canvassing, talking to witnesses, following up a number of leads.

“They’ve caused a lot of damage throughout Tamworth and we want to work quickly to catch these people.”

Police said throughout the spree, the thieves made off with alcohol and cash from the businesses, as well as the ATM, but nothing was recovered when the stolen cars – a white four-door hatchback and a silver Peugeot station wagon – were found dumped in Coledale yesterday.

“Where they were left, down the bottom of Kenny Dr, they’ve had to come past a number of residences, so people in that area would have seen something. So we’re appealing for them to come forward with any sort of information,” Acting Inspector Darcy said.

CCTV from the Tamworth Hotel showed four offenders kicking in the front door of the premises about 1.30am before fleeing in both vehicles, while an alarm activated at the golf club half an hour earlier may have prevented any further damage there.

“That’s all being investigated by our detectives, our Target Action Group and our crime management unit – they are all working together, and they have been working since the early hours of the morning, following this matter up,” Acting Inspector Darcy said.

“All I can say to the business houses in Tamworth is, please ensure all their CCTV is up to date and functioning properly.”

Anyone with information about the offenders or who saw the stolen cars or suspicious activity is urged to contact Tamworth police on 6768 2999 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.