Police warn the community to keep an eye on their belongings while at Manly Beach after noticing an increase in thefts on the beach and in areas in and around the surf clubs.
Several thefts have led to fraudulent transactions after offenders use the victim’s bank cards to purchase items and local businesses.
At the same location, police noticed a rise in thieves targeting tradie vehicles for tools. Offenders forced open canopies and toolboxes in order to access tradie tools while the cars were parked around Manly and Manly Beach.
One notable theft in the past fortnight was from volunteer Amy Percival. She told Manly Observer:
“I was doing shark patrols with a drone for Surf Life Saving at Manly Beach during the Australia Day long weekend. I’m normally at Cronulla, but I commuted one and a half hours via public transport from Kogarah for my Manly shift. This drone posting is a new temporary posting after the shark attack at Manly last week, and I was asked last minute to go to Manly.
“Early that morning, a shark sighting closed the beach. During the chaos, someone entered the surf club and stole my bag while I was on patrol. It contained my wallet, car keys, home keys, glasses, phone charger and essentials, plus a small gift for a family member. I’ve reported the theft to Manly Police. However, I have been quoted $500 just to replace my car keys, and paid $220 for my house keys with more costs to come.
“Because I stayed on by extending my shift to 6pm, I didn’t realise the theft until later and was left stranded overnight without keys or access to my home. I ended up having to get a last minute hotel that night because it was quite late after I went to the police, and I couldn’t get a hold of my landlord for access to my apartment.”
The community may wish to help Amy reclaim some of these costs, you can do so here.
In other crime news…
Elderly man loses $5,000 to AFP Fraud Call
On 28 January 2026, a daughter answered her elderly father’s phone and spoke to someone pretending to be from the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
The caller said they were working with the cryptocurrency business Coinbase and requested money be transferred from her father’s account into a mobile application called ‘Trust’.
The caller ran through various security checks with the daughter to build trust and appear legitimate.
She complied with the caller’s requests and transferred $5,025 into the ‘Trust’ account
The daughter grew suspicious and contacted the police, who verified that scammers had scammed them and that they had fallen victim to fraud.
Stolen e-bike returned to owner
A stolen e-bike victim observed a 37-year-old woman riding his bike outside Warriewood Square Shopping Centre. Police were called, and they located the offender nearby.
Police seized prohibited drugs and various electronic devices from the woman after they searched her. The woman was arrested and charged, and the e-bike was returned to its lawful owner.
Catch up on what you’ve missed:
Teen in serious condition after e-bike accident North Curl Curl
Police targeting teenage e-bikes “gangs” and more in this week’s Crime Watch
