Car break-ins Whittlesea: all the latest stats from Victoria Police

Did thieves break into your car or rob homes in your street at Christmas? You’re not alone as Rachel Clayton discovers diving deep into Whittlesea’s crime data.

Stats reveal thousands of cars and homes broken into in Whittlesea.

Whittlesea residents are being warned to lock their car doors and keep valuables out of sight after 1738 break-ins in the year to September.

Latest Victoria Police statistics for Whittlesea have also revealed:

— Criminals broke into 758 homes, down 35 per cent;

— Theft from retail stores was up with 642 incidents.

— Across the state, car break-ins were down 12 per cent.

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Superintendent Sussan Thomas said theft from a vehicle accounted for 11 per cent of all offences in Victoria with 55,795 in the past year.

“We’re now seeing theft from motor vehicles occurring more at residential areas rather than at transport hubs and shopping centres,” she said.

“In about 50 per cent of incidents there are no visible signs of forced entry, which indicates that the vehicle door has been left unlocked or open or the window has been left down.”

One of the most common items stolen were power tools with almost $44 million worth stolen over the past year.

Supt Thomas said unlocked side and rear doors were the most common entry points for burglars.

She recommended homeowners installed quality locks, alarms and locked all windows and doors.

“Remove valuable items from plain sight — particularly car keys, wallets and cash. Make your house look occupied at all times. For example, ask a neighbour to bring in your mail and bins if you’re away for a while and organise to have your lawns mowed,” she said.

Victoria Police has developed a series of crime prevention fact sheets to educate and empower the community to keep themselves, their family and community safe.

They are available at police.vic.gov.au.

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