Bentley Park mum targeted twice in two nights
Increasing southside break-ins and vehicle rip-offs have been labelled out-of-control by a Cairns homeowner who was targeted by the same thieves two nights in a row.
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Increasing southside break-ins and vehicle rip-offs have been labelled out-of-control by a Cairns homeowner who was targeted at the weekend by the same thieves two nights in a row.
Locksmiths were called to the home of a Bentley Park crime victim Leigh Hodgkins twice in two days after crooks busted in and stole car keys and a wallet on Friday night.
Yet to be apprehended by police, Ms Hodgkins alleged thieves made off with a 2016 Subaru Outback and returned the following night to try and break in again.
Newly-installed dead bolts thwarted a second attempt at forced entry, but in trying to get in,
offenders damaged locking mechanisms, meaning doors were not able to be opened.
And the locksmith was back out at her Lady Penrhyn Cl home on Sunday for the second time in 24 hours.
“They destroyed the lock and ruined it, they annihilated it, you can’t open it and we are trapped inside,” Ms Hodgkins said.
“(My) kids were been rattled the first time and I thought maybe it’s just my turn but when they came back, that threw me.
“The overarching feeling is the lack of respect for other people’s property because they don't care about themselves.
“If you don’t care about yourself you don’t care about anything.”
The new Polair helicopter has been busy cutting loops over southern suburbs all last week on the lookout for stolen cars, but the 53 vehicles stolen up until November 21 has been a significant reduction on the 108 cars stolen during October.
According to police figures, 29 unlawful entry offences logged in October at Bentley Park represented the biggest monthly spike in five years.
Unlawful use of motor vehicle offences were also the highest in 11 months.
It was a similar story in Edmonton where unlawful entry offences have been steadily climbing and again hit a five-year record in October, with 55 offences; a 262 per cent increase on September figures.
In the broader Cairns LGA, 476 unlawful entry offences for October equated to a two-year high.
Last month, unlawful use of vehicle (122,) robbery (26) and theft (635) were sitting at the highest level in two years.
Assaults were down to 270 offences from a two-year high of 343 recorded in March this year.
Last month the Cairns Post revealed a lack of cops on the ground throughout Cairns and a transferring of specialist officers to Cape York was the main reason for surging car thefts and a spike in break-in offences.
Ms Hodgkins who grew up living on Miles St “in the middle of the M suburbs,” said she feels crime back in ‘80s tended to be more violent but also said the situation has got to a point in Cairns now that was out of hand.
“I don’t think there’s an area (of Cairns) that (crime) is not out of control, I have never felt unsafe before, but I feel a lot more worried now,” she said.
“I don’t want to be living like this.
“It’s a horrible thing to go through, I don’t think anyone should be able to invade your space without repercussions but we are not going to fix the problem until we know why the kids are doing it.
“And it needs to be fixed because this sucks.”
Ms Hodgkins’ Subaru remains outstanding but has been sighted by social media users on Murray St, Moody St and “doing doughnuts” on the southside.
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Originally published as Bentley Park mum targeted twice in two nights
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