Ram raid ATM theft in Melbourne

Four bandits used a 4WD as a battering ram, smashing through the front of a Melbourne shopping centre to steal an ATM.

The four unknown offenders crashed a 4WD through the doors of the Taylors Hill shopping centre early on Friday, police say.

Once the doors were down, they then rammed an ATM, knocking it off it's concrete base before loading it into a white van and driving off.

The van is believed to have been stolen in Northcote, in Melbourne's northeast, in March and the 4WD was left at the scene and will be examined by police.