It’s ‘no longer safe’ to leave doors unlocked, cops warn Darwinites

POLICE have warned Top End residents that ‘it is no longer safe’ to leave doors unlocked or valuables unsecured

Police have warned Top End residents that “it is no longer safe” to leave doors unlocked or valuables unsecured following a 14.2 per cent rise in house break-ins in Darwin.

POLICE have warned Top End residents that “it is no longer safe” to leave doors unlocked or valuables unsecured following a 14.2 per cent rise in house break-ins in Darwin.

But total property crime was down in the 12 months to February, the latest official statistics reveal, driven by a 17.9 per cent fall in property damage offences and 5.8 per cent fewer commercial burglaries.

Grog-related assaults were also down by 9.2 per cent but Acting Commander Craig Laidler said the misuse of alcohol continued to drive anti-social behaviour, violence and property crime.

“Now that we are well and truly into the first quarter of the year, don’t let complacency gain a foothold, continue to secure your premises and your vehicles to reduce opportunistic crime,” he said.

“Police want to continue to highlight with the community that it is no longer safe to leave your home or business unsecured or to leave your vehicle keys in a location that is easily accessible to criminals.”

In Palmerston, alcohol-related assault was also down by 16.2 per cent along with house break-ins, down 8.8 per cent.

But commercial break-ins rose by 3.7 per cent while the number of car thefts fell by more than 20 per cent.

Further south in Alice Springs, the picture was far worse, with a 144.4 per cent rise in the number of homes being burgled and a 30 per cent jump in commercial break-ins.

Acting Southern Commander Jody Nobbs welcomed a 14 per cent fall in domestic violence attacks and a 25.7 per cent drop in alcohol-fuelled violence but described the property crime results as “unacceptable”.

“The increase in year on year through to February statistics can be attributed to a recent spike in offending along with significant lows at the same time last year,” he said.

“It is evident that in most cases offenders were targeting keys to steal motor vehicles from premises, unfortunately as a result, there has been an increase in motor vehicle theft across the region.”