Curly one as thieves nick straighteners

THEY'RE straight and narrow but the latest black-market item is certainly not keeping the fringe elements of society off the road to ruin. A curly one for police.

Hair straighteners have become the hot ticket target for break and enters, with more than 20 Brisbane salons robbed in recent weeks.

Police said the GHD hair Straighteners, which retail for more than $300, were on-sold at markets and online.

Thieves have stolen 100 hair straighteners from more than 20 businesses in south and north Brisbane since June.

Senior Sergeant Yvonne Smith, of the South Brisbane District Intelligence Unit, said thieves targeted suburban businesses that were not in shopping centres, where security was higher.

Upper Mt Gravatt Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Rod Watts said it seemed different offenders were responsible for the robberies. He said he believed they were being sold through online traders or weekend markets.

"The straighteners have good resale value because they are an expensive cosmetic item and are very hard to trace once they are stolen."

Hairdresser Amal Albassit thought she was a victim of a practical joke three weeks ago when police informed her that eight of the GHD hair straighteners had been stolen from her Mt Gravatt salon, Cutting Quarters.

"We had been advertising the straighteners in our front windows. I had eight in the salon because if you want to purchase the promotional ones, that was the minimum. We no longer stock them," she said.

Police have charged two groups of offenders for two separate robberies at Clayfield and Sandgate on Brisbane's northside.

GHD Hair Australia said the company was constantly battling illegal online selling of its product.