AMUSEMENT arcades across Great Yarmouth have been rocked by a series of thefts. Police have visited arcades across the district, including those on holiday camps, offering advice following the spate of crimes.

AMUSEMENT arcades across Great Yarmouth have been rocked by a series of thefts.

Police have visited arcades across the district, including those on holiday camps, offering advice following the spate of crimes.

In the first incident on Wednesday, July 21, offenders forced a cash box from a fruit machine in the Belle Vue Tavern on Quay Road, Gorleston.

Four men went into the pub and two distracted the barmaid while the other suspects removed the cash box from the fruit machine.

The men then went into the toilet where they removed the cash from its container before leaving the pub.

The next day, at around 3.20pm, two men entered the Golden Nugget arcade where they forced open the cash box to an air hockey game and got away with a quantity of cash before fleeing towards Lancaster Road.

And Funworks Arcade at the Seashore Holiday Park was struck at 5pm on Monday, August 2, when two men forced the cash box while playing with a ten pin bowling machine and got away a large amount of cash.

Crime prevention officer Dave Gladden urged amusement arcade staff to remain vigilant.

He said: “This tends to be a seasonal crime which peaks when amusements get busy. The offences are generally committed by two or more people as one person will shield the other from staff or CCTV while the other tampers with the machine.

“It's also important to say that these are not opportunists as the people involved go to great lengths to gain access to cash boxes in order to get hold of the money.

“Its important staff members remain vigilant to suspicious behaviour.”

Anyone with information in relation to either incident should contact Norfolk Police on 0845 456 4567.