Thieves are targeting the “mortgage belt” of Tea Tree Gully’s northern suburbs, councillor says
THIEVES are targeting their neighbours in north east Adelaide’s “mortgage belt”, a local councillor and Neighbourhood Watch member believes.
THIEVES are targeting their neighbours in the region’s “mortgage belt” across several northern suburbs, a Tea Tree Gully councillor believes.
Para Hills (36), Pooraka (29), Golden Grove (29), Wynn Vale (27) and Modbury (22) are the region’s top five suburbs for break-ins at homes, schools and businesses for the year to date, according to police data.
However, other nearby suburbs Banksia Park (1) Salisbury Heights (2), Vista (2), Redwood Park (3) Dernancourt (5), Ridgehaven (5), Gulfview Heights (5) and St Agnes (5) have been relatively break-in-free between January and July 12 this year.
Cr Sandy Keane, also a local Neighbourhood Watch member, believes thieves are concentrating on the “mortgage belt” suburbs of Golden Grove and Wynn Vale.
“Mums and dads are at work, their kids are at school,” she said.
“In a lot of cases, the perpetrators live nearby or in the area.
“I don’t believe these (breakins) are off the cuff.
“It’s absolutely people who are in the area who know the people they’re robbing.”
She said a recent spate of property damage in Golden Grove was committed by youths living in the suburb.
“It’s very rarely people outside the area,” she said.
“In this case it was some young people who got drunk.”
Wynn Vale resident Kalomira said the biggest issue in the suburb was teenagers letting off fireworks in the Jubilee Community Centre carpark late at night on weekends.
“A few times we’ve had stray fireworks hit our front lawn,” she said.
Cr Lucas Jones could not understand why domestic crime was relatively high in Greenwith and Golden Grove, considering there is a “large police presence in that area”.
“While there are issues with young kids hooning around backstreets, there doesn’t appear to be regular acts of crime in Steventon Ward,” he said.
A police spokeswoman said the data, provided in weekly emails to the public, did not include statistics on attempted entries or trespass.
Up to date as of July 12
PARA HILLS 36
POORAKA 29
WYNN VALE 27
GOLDEN GROVE 29
MODBURY 22
GREENWITH 17
HOLDEN HILL 18
GILLES PLAINS 18
WINDSOR GARDENS 16
TEA TREE GULLY 15
HOPE VALLEY 11
VALLEY VIEW 7
MODBURY NORTH 6
PARA VISTA 7
SURREY DOWNS 8
WALKLEY HEIGHTS 7
ST AGNES 5
GULFVIEW HEIGHTS 5
RIDGEHAVEN 5
MODBURY HEIGHTS 4
DERNANCOURT 5
REDWOOD PARK 3
VISTA 2
SALISBURY HEIGHTS 2
BANKSIA PARK 1