Cash and jewellery among the most common items stolen in Victoria

Brazen thieves ran off with more cash from homes in Melbourne’s north than anywhere else, while crooks looked to more affluent areas to steal jewellery.

Cash is still king among Victoria’s thieves who ran off with more than $22m from homes and businesses

Apple pay and mastercards may be all the rage among shoppers but cash — followed by jewellery — is still king for Victoria’s brazen thieves looting homes and businesses, with those in Melbourne’s north the hardest hit.

Upwards of $644,000 worth of cash and documents were taken from homes in Coburg North — the most of anywhere in Victoria — in the year to March 2025, according to the latest Crime Statistics Agency data.

Across the state more than $22m in cash was stolen, with about $13m taken from homes.

Homes in West Melbourne were also heavily hit, with cash hungry crooks running off with more than half-a-million dollars.

Meanwhile, Glen Waverley residents had about $448,000 worth of cash taken from their homes.

Millions of dollars in cash were taken by brazen thieves across the state in the year to March 2025 Picture: NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

Meanwhile, nearly $29m worth of jewellery was recorded as stolen from Victorian properties, with $3.3m taken from luxury homes in Boroondara in Melbourne’s northeast.

The Boroondara suburbs hardest hit by jewel thieves included Hawthorn ($808,488), Balwyn North ($770,869) and Kew ($702,217).

Earlier this year Victoria Police released CCTV of a trio which allegedly ran off with $100,000 worth of jewellery from a Manchester Lane store in the CBD.

Alleged thieves ran off with $100,000 worth of jewellery from a CBD store in January Picture Victoria Police

In 2017 more than $55m worth of jewellery was taken from Victorian residential properties, with this figure dropping year on year.

In contrast thousands of Victorian tradies have been left without vital equipment after $20.8m worth of power tools were stolen across the state in the past year.

The latest crime data revealed tools were stolen every 90 minutes, with the state recording a 17 per cent increase in both the number of incidents and the value of items stolen.

South Melbourne workers experienced the second most valuable tool thefts — almost $210,000 worth of tools and power tools.

More than $16m in timber and building materials was also reported stolen during this time.

A Victoria Polce spokesman said homes should adopt “simple home security measures” to prevent burglaries.

“Since the start of the year, around 65 per cent of all aggravated home burglaries in key hotspots have either been due to unlocked doors/windows, or an unsuccessful attempt when the offender realised the home was locked,” he said.

“Therefore, please lock all your doors and windows each night, as well as ensuring your car is locked and items such as garage remotes are out of sight.”

Originally published as Cash and jewellery among the most common items stolen in Victoria