Avoid car theft by keeping your keys out of sight of thieves

Motorists are being urged to keep their keys safe and out of sight of thieves following a spate of vehicle thefts.

Victoria’s motorists are being urged to secure their car keys after a recent spate of vehicle thefts.

Victoria Police say car thieves use owners’ keys in seven out of 10 thefts of late-model vehicles throughout the state.

The force’s “Consideration is Key” public awareness campaign is urging motorists to keep their keys out of sight of would-be criminals.

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On average, 49 cars a day are stolen in Victoria, and the holiday season is the worst time of the year: car-related crimes spike by 20 per cent over December and January.

About 12.10am on December 29, a thief stole a red Mitsubishi Lancer sedan (registration ZFS 349) from a home in McDonald St, Mordialloc, after finding the car’s keys in the letterbox.

And in a car theft from Boston Place, Hoppers Crossing, between November 11 and 18, the thieves obtained the vehicle’s keys by breaking into the property and stealing a safe in which the keys were stored.

On September 27, between 7.30 and 11.40pm, two men broke into a home in Madeline St, Glen Waverley, and then stole a blue Toyota Prius.

Car insurance company Suncorp says the top five suburban locations for car thefts are Pakenham, Craigieburn, Epping, Dandenong and Reservoir.

Melbourne’s CBD had the sixth-highest number of car thefts between January 2015 and November 2018.