THIEVES have stolen five guns in the latest of a series of burglaries causing headaches for Colac police.

The guns were among $15,000 worth of goods stolen from a Colac district farmhouse.

The theft is the latest in six-week spree across the region, despite police arresting a Colac man and seizing more stolen goods on Monday.

Detective Senior Constable Stuart Sims of Colac Criminal Investigation Unit said thieves struck a Carlisle River farmhouse while the occupants were away between Thursday and Sunday.

Det Sims said the burglars forced entry to the property through a rear door and stole five guns, including an antique worth $5000, a four-wheel motorbike, a television worth $2000 and a $1000 computer.

“The firearms are a concern,” Det Sims said.

“They were all registered and correctly stored in a gun safe so all that was done,” he said.

“The last thing we want is those guns used in a robbery.”

Det Sims said the theft could have happened any time between Thursday and Sunday but he said a neighbour reported seeing a gold-coloured ute, possibly a Holden Colorado, towing a trailer in the area.

He said police believed the offenders knew the area and what they were looking for.

“It’s pretty isolated – it’s someone that knows them or known to the area,” Det Sims said.

“Obviously we want anyone who has seen anything, or anyone who knows of the gold coloured ute, to contact Crime Stoppers or Colac police,” he said.

Meanwhile, Det Sims said police arrested and charged a Colac man in his 30s with handling stolen goods.

He said police executed an evidence warrant and forced entry to a Quamby Avenue property seizing a computer, three cameras and an inflatable life jacket.

Det Sims said police believed the goods were linked to previous residential burglaries in Colac and investigators would notify people if they had found their property.

He said police charged the man and bailed him to appear in court later this month.

The Carlisle River burglary was one of more than 20 residential burglaries in the Colac Otway Shire since December 1 last year.

But Detective Sergeant Peter Griffiths of Colac CIU said police were making inroads into the crime spree thanks to community help.

“A lot of the arrests have come out of both police work and members of the community contacting police with information,” Det Griffiths said.

“It’s really heartening to see the community standing up and giving us information which is assisting us,” he said.

“I’d like to think that the community has confidence that should they report things to police and they’ll see some action being taken.”

Tags: Police and Emergencies