Thefts almost double in Mitcham in just one year, latest figures show

STARTLING figures have unveiled a new crime hotspot in a leafy family suburb in Melbourne’s east, where thefts have almost doubled in just a year.

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MITCHAM is the new hotspot for thefts in Whitehorse, with a staggering 76 per cent increase in just one year.

While Box Hill remains the riskiest place for having property stolen, Mitcham has jumped into second spot, data from the Crime Statistics Agency has revealed.

There were 433 reported thefts in Mitcham in the year ending June 30, up from 245 the previous year.

In total, there were 3508 theft offences in Whitehorse — almost 700 more than the 2736 thefts recorded in the previous 12 months.

Box Hill recorded the most with 573 offences, up from 477.

Mitcham also recorded 108 burglaries in the past year — 32 more than the previous year’s five-year low of 76 break and enters.

Mitcham train station has one of the largest train station carparks in Melbourne’s east. Picture: Richard Serong

The packed Mitcham train station car park. Picture Norm Oorloff

Whitehorse Acting Inspector Wayne Williams said the “vast majority” of these were thefts from cars.

“So many of these incidents are people breaking into cars and stealing what they find inside,” Acting Insp Williams said.

“Take last night for example (October 17-18) where we responded to six thefts from motor vehicles — three of them were in Mitcham and, in each of those, the car was either unlocked or valuables were left in the open.

“One of them had $50 in coins stolen from the glovebox.”

Victoria Police has a dedicated vehicle crime team which targets thefts of numberplates and thefts of and from vehicles, which Acting Insp Williams said got “good results”.

However, he noted “this isn’t an issue we arrest our way out of”.

Acting Insp Williams said he believed the spike in Mitcham was a combination of repeat offenders returning to areas where they had success and more cars being parked on side streets.

Neighbourhood Watch Whitehorse secretary Allison Summers urged people to take more care.

“We work in education and prevention of crime, and work with police to inform the community of ways to protect themselves, through letterbox drops, newsletters and our website,” Ms Summers said.

“Parking your car in your garage, locking it, and not leaving valuables inside are really simple things everyone should be doing to reduce their risk of being a victim.”

Details: facebook.com/NHWWhitehorse