Cars sighted by The Courier at a centre commissioned by police to repair recovered stolen vehicles were trashed, with graffiti emblazoned on every interior surface. Containers filled with petrol were found. 

The messages named some senior police officers and said “free da boys”. 

The cars – including a late model Audi, Peugeot and a Kia – had all been recovered in recent days. Ballarat Superintendent Andrew Allen said police had arrested and charged a person for having a weapon in their vehicle. 

A machete – at least 40 centimetres long – was recovered from one of the stolen vehicles repaired at the centre. A home made baseball bat was also found. The owner of the centre has been in the smash repair business for decades and said the number of stolen vehicles being repaired at his centre has spiked in the last two years. 

He first saw gratified cars about a month ago. 

Superintendent Andrew Allen said police treated all graffitti – whether it be on walls or in cars – the same. 

“(We aren’t concerned about graffiti) what we are concerned with is the number of recidivist offenders stealing the cars,” Superintendent Allen said.

Superintendent Allen said police had repeated themselves “ad nauseam” about the need for people to lock their cars. He said offenders stole cars at ease because they were left unlocked. 

The vehicles seen by The Courier had been fingerprinted by police. They were littered with rubbish and cigarette packets.

Employees said a handmade baseball bat was found in one vehicle, while others were littered with pipes used to smoke methamphetamine and small clear bags.  

The owner of the car centre said the days of thieves hot wiring cars were over – with the majority of cars stolen using the keys. 

The centre owner said they understood thieves kept the cars for “a couple of weeks”, while they drove often at high speed through the city. 

Superintendent Allen warned many of the vehicles were used by people to commit other crimes before they were dumped. 

Police and emergency services have repeatedly spoken about the need for owners to be cautious – with the number cars being burnt out in forest areas continuing to grow. 

Superintendent Allen said police work had led to a slight decrease in the number of thefts occurring in recent weeks, but said police were determined to put a stop to the likelihood of any sort of crime occurring, including graffiti. 

Police urge residents not to keep their keys in their handbags or in visible places. If you see a stolen car contact police.