Thief shoves iPad down his pants in brazen Thirroul robbery

The alleged thieves have been brazen - one smashing the glass front door at night and walking out of Computer Medic with $10,000 worth of computers, iPads and iPhones in a sack.

The second incident was at 1.33pm on Monday, April 29 when a man walked in, grabbed an iPad and allegedly shoved it down the front of his pants.

"I could tell he did something, that's why I confronted him. I went straight to the iPads and asked him where the iPad was," store owner Ronnie said.

"He looked suspicious and that's why I stepped back."

Ronnie asked for his surname not to be used as he fears the thieves may have been inside his shop before.

Monday's alleged thief who took the $750 iPad was calm while in the store, Ronnie said, and he asked if there was free Wi-Fi he could use.

Both incidents were caught on the store's CCTV cameras, with footage passed onto police.

"I don't have much hope because it's been more than a month since the last break in and they [police] haven't contacted me," Ronnie said.

Computer Medic is located in Thirroul Plaza, with owners of the centre planning to redevelop the site.

"I spent nearly $8000 on a roller shutter [after the first break and enter], but they're going to knock down the centre and I can't keep spending money. I don't know what to do," Ronnie said.

"I'm just a small business guys, these days it's very, very quiet."

Recent crime data shows the number of thefts from retail stores in the Illawarra is at a 10-year high with retailers struggling to stop people from stealing.

The Mercury has contacted police for comment on the two incidents at Computer Medic.