Police warn motorists driving through Redfern to lock their doors

POLICE have called upon drivers to lock their car doors while driving through the Redfern area after a spate of break-ins of vehicles stopped at traffic lights.

Motorists should lock their doors when driving through south Sydney, say police.

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POLICE have called upon drivers to lock their car doors while driving through the Redfern area after a spate of break-ins of vehicles stopped at traffic lights.

Five vehicles have been targets of theft since ­February across Alexandria, Broadway, Redfern and Erskineville.

Each incident involved the occupants confronted by men who broke in while their cars were stopped at intersections in the early hours of the morning.

In all cases, handbags were stolen from inside the cars.

Redfern local area command crime manager Despa Fitzgerald urged people driving through the command, which also covers Alexandria, Beaconsfield, Zet­land, Darlington, Eveleigh, Rosebery and Waterloo, to lock their doors, especially when stopped at the lights.

In each case, handbags were stolen from inside the cars.

“The message is lock your car doors, as part of your routine. You should lock them when you get in the car,” detective Inspector Fitzgerald said.

Insp Fitzgerald advised drivers to put handbags, laptops and other valuables in the car boot or ­somewhere secure that wasn’t visible.

“A lot of people put their bags on the front seat or the front foot well or on the back seat where it’s easy to race in and just open the car door and take what they can,” Insp Fitzgerald said.

While some modern cars will automatically lock, some of the older cars need to be locked manually.

Inspector Despa Fitzgerald said the message was “lock your doors”.

Mitchell Rd in Alexandria was the hardest hit, with two incidents in the same day, believed to be undertaken by the same man.

Cars on the corner of both Copeland St and Henderson Rd were stopped and robbed between 5.55am and 6.25am.

At the corner of City Rd and Broadway in Chippendale, a car was broken into at 4.40am.

On Monday, two bags were stolen from a vehicle stopped at the intersection of South Dowling and Chelsea streets in Redfern

The break-ins follow a similar spate which targeted cars at the intersection of South Dowling St and Cleveland St.