Revealed: The southeast Queensland suburbs thieves target the most

Thieves are once again hitting the streets as people go back to work, causing a spike in crime. We reveal the suburbs most hit by thieves and the safest places to live. SEE HOW YOUR SUBURB RATES

The pandemic led to a steep decline in the number of home invasions last year but with lockdowns lifted thieves are back out prowling the streets – with some suburbs more likely to be targeted than others.

Across the board the number of unlawful entries recorded by Queensland Police, across southeast Queensland, dropped dramatically in 2020.

The drop has been attributed to the pandemic and a rise in the number of people staying and working from home.

But with lockdowns lifted and people returning to offices the thieves are back out.

Community Facebook groups are filled with people posting security camera footage of would-be thieves lurking outside their homes and warnings from people who have had their homes broken into.

Residences in the Logan Central Police District are the most likely in southeast Queensland to be broken into with 3329 homes unlawfully entered between 2018 and April 2021.

Home further north in Caboolture are also targeted with 2284 homes broken into in the same time period.

Inala has the highest number of unlawful entries in the western suburbs, with 1780 reported to police between 2018 and April 2021.

Rates are much lower in the Redlands City Council area with Wynnum residents reporting 973 break-ins in the same time frame.

Break-ins in Wynnum have dropped dramatically with 251 recorded in 2020 and just 83 recorded so far this year.

Caboolture residents have reported 187 break-ins so far this year and Logan Central residents 288.

Other Moreton police divisions hit hard by thieves include Redcliffe and Petrie.

Kilcoy, Dayboro and Woodford for the safest suburbs in the Moreton region – with each recording less than 10 break and enters this year.

Beaudesert and Logan Village/Yarrabilba were among the safest Logan suburbs recording 25 and 24 break-ins this year.

Living on the islands reduces the risk of a break-in too with just one unlawful entry reported at Dunwich this year and eight on Russell Island.

In the city Carseldine has had the lowest number of unlawful entry offences recorded, with 38.

Ethan Mcleod was found guilty of 12 offences at the Beenleigh Magistrates Court.

Some cases involved drug affected thieves like Caboolture man Ethan Ben-Anthony Mcleod, 25, who pleaded guilty on March 25 for 12 offences spanning from April to October of 2020, during which time the court heard he was under the influence of “a cocktail of illicit substances”.

On June 19, at the height of his addiction, Mcleod broke into a Narangba home and stole a computer.

Mcleod was sentenced to 15 months probation for this and other offences and no criminal convictions were recorded.

Jakob Porima has been jailed for breaking in to a family's home in the company of four other males while the residents were present. Picture: Facebook Image

Other cases left homeowners terrified like the matter of Jakob Porima, 19, who along with four other males forced their way into a Capalaba home at about 10pm on June 8. The offenders bowled over the father at the front door and a woman was so “terrified” she broke out a flyscreen to escape with her children via an upstairs window.

Kobe Tyler Colosimo, 18, was sentenced to serve a nine month Intensive Corrections Order in October last year, after pleading guilty to 19 offences including burglary. Photo: Facebook

Young Caboolture man Kobe Tyler Colosimo, 18, was sentenced to serve a nine month Intensive Corrections Order in October last year, after pleading guilty to 19 offences including burglary.

Colosimo broke into a home at Caboolture on March 4, searched through cabinets and stole two laptops and a wallet. He also attempted to break into 12 homes in Newport on April 14.

A Brighton family was left devastated after a thief broke in and stole $30,000 worth of belongings while they were away on a holiday. They were alerted to the crime by their cleaner who had found the back door smashed in and the locks missing in January this year.

The court heard Seth Morris has been addicted to ice since he was 14YO.

A 19-year-old ice addict from Daisy Hill was sentenced to prison for stealing more than $19,000 worth of computers, jewellery and phones from a Carindale home in December 2020.

Seth Glyndwyr Morris pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including three counts of break and enter, three counts of stealing and wilful damage at the Beenleigh Magistrates on March 26, 2021.