Worst streets for car break-ins on the northern beaches
A recent spike has seen opportunistic thieves targeting cars parked in driveways and on the street. Here are the streets currently most at-risk and what you can do to prevent being targeted.
Manly
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OPPORTUNISTIC thieves are targeting cars parked in driveways and on the street — looking for vehicles left unlocked by their owners.
Most of a recent spate of thefts occurred after the robbers simply pulled on the car door handles, police said.
Property stolen from the parked cars included hundreds of dollars in cash, wallets, credit cards, power tools, prescription drugs and laptops.
Thieves even made off with a torch, cigarettes, spectacles, a wrapped birthday present and loose change.
Last weekend there were three reported car break-ins in Balgowlah Heights alone.
Thieves also struck in Clontarf, North Balgowlah, Narrabeen, Dee Why, Fairlight, Beacon Hill, Avalon and North Curl Curl over an eight-day period.
A resident told police they saw a group of youths trying to get into cars in Tabalam St at Balgowlah Heights about 3.30am on Monday.
Police also received reports of car break-ins in nearby Curban St, Bungaloe Ave and Beaconview St.
There were two more theft reports in neighbouring Clontarf early this week.
Of the 15 break-ins reported tp police in the last nine days only two involved thieves breaking a window to get into the car — on Kingsway, Dee Why and Lindley Ave, Narrabeen.
After the North Curl Curl robbery, where a wallet and $300 cash was left in a car in Headland Rd, the victim’s credit card was used fraudulently numerous times before it was cancelled.
Early on Monday robbers took a laptop left in a Mercedes-Benz in Balgowlah Heights.
In Narrabeen thieves targeted several vehicles parked in Lindley Ave, overnight on
Monday, including a locked Volkswagen Golf. They got away with a portable speaker.
Police said coins and prescription drugs were stolen from a Kia Rio parked nearby. Thieves
also rummaged through a Nissan Micra and a Subaru Tribeca but failed to find anything
of value.
On Tuesday, thieves also managed to grab a new laptop computer left in an unlocked Toyota Yaris parked for just one hour, between 10 and 11am, along Barrenjoey Rd at Avalon.
Northern Beaches Police crime manager Guy Magee, urged car owners to check vehicles were locked each night.
“The vast majority of cars hit by thieves are unlocked,” Acting Detective Inspector Magee said.
“Thieves do not have to smash a window, they just walk along a street, or onto a driveway and start pulling on the door handles.
“And please, do not leave anything valuable in a car, even if it’s not in plain sight.”
Insp Magee said modern vehicle security technology may lead to drivers unwittingly failing to lock their car.
CAR BREAK-IN HOTPOTS
●Bungaloe Ave and Beaconview St, Balgowlah Heights
●Ogilvy Rd and Cutler Rd, Clontarf
●Ocean St and Lindley Ave, Narrabeen
●Bardoo Ave, North Balgowlah
●Thornton St, Fairlight
●Ryan Pl, Beacon Hill
●Headland Rd, North Curl Curl
●Barrenjoey Rd, Avalon
TIPS TO PREVENT YOUR CAR BEING TARGETED
●Lock all doors
●Park in well lit areas
●Do not park near foliage
●Do not leave valuables in the car
●If you must keep valuables in the car, hide them under seats or in the boot
●Store valuables before you pick a parking spot — thieves often stake out locations
●Remove loose change from centre console
●Do not leave sunglasses on view
●Remove power plugs, MP3 adaptors and navigation system windshield suction-cup
mounts.
●Do not leave a spare key on top of a tyre
●Invest in theft prevention technology such as a window alarm.
