A thief stole more than 100 number plates from parked cars during a four-hour spree, police allege.
The number plates were allegedly pinched from the Brighton Le Sands area in Sydney‘s south between 1am and 5am on March 12.
Streets targeted included Bay, O’Neill, Princess, Bruce and Gordon Streets, Crawford and Teralba Roads, Brighton and Moate Avenues.
Detectives began looking for the alleged culprit after receiving a flood of reports from car owners about missing registration plates on the same day.
Police previously released a CCTV image of a man they wanted to speak to who they said might be able to assist with their enquiries as part of a public appeal for information.
Streets targeted included Bay, O’Neill, Bay, Princess, Bruce and Gordon Streets, Crawford and Teralba Roads, Brighton and Moate Avenues in the Brighton-Le-Sands area (stock image)
Police previously released a CCTV image of a man they said might be able to assist with the investigation. It is not known if this was the man arrested
On Tuesday, officers arrested a 28-year-old man at a Brighton Le Sands residence about 7am following extensive inquiries and the public call for assistance.
The man been charged with larceny and also with destroy or damage property.
A video uploaded to social media earlier this month showed how the spree across multiple streets in Brighton-Le-Sands left a string of cars without number plates or with them out of shape in an attempt to pry them off.
Number plates are commonly targeted by criminals who place them on other vehicles to avoid being caught when breaking the law.
Police may then issue fines or even arrest the unsuspecting motorists who had their number plates stolen.
A video was posted online earlier this month showing some of the damage in the suburb
A video uploaded to social media showed cars in Brighton-Le-Sands having had their number plates removed
Community groups are urging drivers to increase both security and anti-theft measures to curb the spate of number plate crime.
Car owners can purchase special screws to secure number plates from car parts stores which are unable to be removed.
The arrested man briefly appeared in court on Wednesday and was granted strict conditional bail to reappear in Sutherland Local Court on April 4.
Police added their investigation into the why the number plates were allegedly stolen is ongoing.
