POLICE are questioning a 26-year-old man in relation to a burglary at a coffee shop as they continue to investigate a crime wave that has hit the town centre.

It was reported that a window at Café Nero, on Ormskirk Street, had been smashed at about 10.25pm on Tuesday, October 17 before the offender entered and took a charity collection box.

The man, of no fixed address, was arrested today on suspicion of burglary following the incident. He has been taken to a police station to be interviewed.

The incident follows a number of burglaries and attempted burglaries currently being investigated by police.

These are that on Thursday, October 11 it was reported the Honey Rose Foundation, on Cotham Street, had been broken into and cash stolen.

The following day there was an attempted burglary at Pear Tree Café in which a window was damaged, and on Saturday, October 13 and a safe was taken from Tex-Mex Sabroso on George Street along with a computer, laptop and a safe which were all found abandoned nearby.

On Monday, October 15, entry was forced to a safe at St Helens Town Hall and the next day the Market Tavern pub on Bridge Street was targeted when a quantity of cash was stolen from the premises.

In the early hours of this morning Wednesday, October 17, an unknown offender has gained access to a hairdressers on Barrow Street by reportedly smashing the front window.

However nothing appears to have been stolen.

In the early hours of Tuesday, October 16, an unknown offender is believed to have smashed the window of Kaspas Restaurant on Bridge Street.

Here, an untidy search has taken place and a laptop was reportedly taken from the premises.

Between the evening of Monday, October 15 and early morning of Tuesday, October 16, an unknown offender is reported to have smashed the 3rd floor window of ‘The Bridal Loft,’ on William Street.

Here a number of dresses as well as cash was reportedly stolen from inside.

Community Sergeant Neil Birkett said: "I would like to reassure businesses in St Helens that we are exploring a number of lines of enquiry in relation to these incidents and doing everything in our power to apprehend those responsible and bring them to justice.

"Today’s arrest represents a positive step in our efforts, but we remain determined to identify those responsible for all those recent incidents and bring them to justice.

"Business burglaries are not victimless crimes – whether small independent businesses or national chains, the staff working there are most often people living in our communities just trying to earn a living.

"They should be able to go to work each day safe in the knowledge that they will discover their place of work has been targeted in this way.

"We have put more officers on proactive high visibility patrols in key areas, and continue to speak to business owners regularly about the best ways they can make their premises secure.

"It is in everyone's interest to solve and prevent these crimes against businesses that provide a vital service to our communities. If you have any information about these crimes, I would urge you to contact police.

"Any piece of information, however small it may seem, could prove vital and prevent further offences."

Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police CC. You can also call 101 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.