By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
THEFTS from unlocked vehicles have become highly frustrating to Geelong police, according to an officer.
Community Liaison Officer Leading Senior Constable Andrew King said the issue was now an ongoing concern for police.
His alert followed another spate of thefts from cars at Lara last week when thieves targeted more than a dozen vehicles and stole a car.
Snr Const King said police could not understand why people left valuables in unlocked cars.
“We’ve been getting the strong message out there for quite a while now but it doesn’t seem to be sinking in,” Snr Const King said.
“The message is pretty simple – if thieves can’t see anything inside the car they’ll move on.”
Snr Const King said it was simple for drivers to take their valuables and lock their cars, even when parked in their own driveways.
“Virtually all these offences happen in residential streets, not in car parks, so people are obviously thinking it’s safe if it’s at home.
“But we’ve had instances of cars parked outside someone’s bedroom, they hear nothing, only to find their car broken into the next morning.”
Snr Const King said car thieves, usually youths, tended to walk around residential streets at night looking in cars and trying door handles.
“This type of offence is opportunistic. You remove the opportunity and the offence will not occur – it’s that simple,” he said.
Lara Police Sergeant Steve Burgess said car owners were failing to hear the security message.
The recent Lara thefts included items included iPods, cameras, GPS systems, wallets and cash.
The thieves struck in the early hours of Tuesday morning, Sgt Burgess said.
“If you hear noises near your car or in the street in the early hours of the morning, don’t just ignore them. Ring 000 and police will respond and check the area,” he said.
