The man, who does not wish to be named, said: “A bloke bearing three bags of burgled booty was having a quiet fag.

“Further investigation discovered that he had done over some of the other shops in the complex as well and has taken EFTPOS machines, hard drives and other electronic gear.”

A 30-year-old man appeared in the Esperance Magistrates Court by video link and was remanded in custody on Tuesday.

He was charged with two counts of burglary and one of trespass.

In one of the premises the offender removed the covering from the computer tower and removed the internal hard drive and also disconnected the EFTPOS machine from the computer.

A similar burglary occurred in Esperance on February 22 with the same method of entry and same computer items stolen.

Esperance Police Detective Sergeant Doug Backhouse said he was disturbed by the computer items that were almost stolen and the potential for what they could have been used for.

“There is an enormous amount of computer and identity crime occurring world wide and amounts run into billions of dollars.

“Just because we are reasonably remote does not mean we are immune from computer crime offences.

“Inquiries are being conducted for other similar offences and further charges are likely,” Det Sgt Backhouse said.

The man is scheduled to appear in Esperance Magistrates Court on March 16.

Det Sgt Backhouse asks anyone who comes across what seem to be stolen items, particularly in the bush areas around Esperance, to call the police on 9071 1900.