Police on the Sunshine Coast have expressed concerns about the growing incidents of motor vehicles being broken into and having property stolen from them.
Acting Inspector Darren Edwards said that car owners needed to ensure that they locked their vehicles securely and did not leave valuables in their cars, particularly in plain sight for others to see.
“There have been a number of incidents of people leaving handbags in cars overnight and not even locking their vehicles,” Acting Inspector Edwards said.
“Car owners are inviting theft of their belongings, by not taking basic security precautions.
“Items such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets and other electronic devices are being left in clear view overnight and this behaviour only serves to invite people to break into vehicles.”
Acting Inspector Edwards said people are also leaving their keys in the car’s console or are attempting to hide them on the vehicle. The keys are then found by thieves who invariably then steal the car and or property in the car.
Police will always take these types of offences seriously and fully investigate them but by ensuring some basic precautions are taken it can save car owners a lot of distress,” Acting Inspector Edwards said.
“Some offences have led to the Sunshine Coast District Property Crime Task Force apprehending one man for numerous alleged fraud related offences as a result of allegedly breaking into cars and stealing wallets and handbags left in vehicles.”
Police are urging people to re-assess their attitude toward security of their personal belongings and not make it easy for offenders.
For more information on crime prevention please contact Sunshine Coast District Crime Prevention Unit on 54097944
