Victims of construction site thefts have been urged to contact police after officers seized more than $20,000 worth of power tools they suspect to have been stolen.
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ACT Policing officers found the equipment, along with a suspected illicit substance, during searches conducted in Narrabundah on Friday.
About 11.25am, according to a statement issued by the force, officers in that suburb spotted a grey Nissan Pulsar that had only just been reported as stolen.
The vehicle stopped in Gymea Street, along with a black Holden Commodore police said it had been "travelling in convoy with".
After both cars had stopped, police allegedly saw the drivers moving power tools from the Commodore into a garden shed towards the rear of a house.
"Police arrested a 30-year-old Narrabundah man and a 27-year-old Narrabundah woman, and subsequent searches located power tools, estimated to be worth in excess of $20,000, as well as a substance suspected of being methylamphetamine," ACT Policing said on Saturday.
"Forensic examinations were undertaken on the Pulsar, which has now been returned to its owner. The Commodore has been seized for further examination."
The arrests of both Narrabundah residents were coordinated by a newly established ACT Policing taskforce targeting high-risk driving behaviours and stolen vehicles, which are often used to commit crimes.
After a night in police custody, the pair were expected to face the ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday.
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Police said the man had been charged with two counts each of unlicensed driving and driving a motor vehicle without consent, as well as single counts of using a number plate not properly issued, refusing to undergo a screening test, and refusing to provide an oral fluid sample.
The woman was charged with refusing to undergo a screening test, refusing to provide an oral fluid sample, unlawful possession of stolen property and possessing a drug of dependence.
Police are now encouraging tradespeople who have had tools or other equipment stolen, and who can provide serial numbers or other identifying features about them, to make contact to see if their tools are among those recovered.
Information to help tradespeople to reduce the likelihood of their vehicles and tools being stolen is available on the Outsmart the Offender website.
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