Car cover up

POLICE have again warned Casey motorists to stop playing into the hands of opportunistic thieves by leaving valuables in vehicles.
More than 100 cars are broken into every day across Melbourne and the City of Casey has been highlighted by police as a known hotspot for the thieves.
Assistant Commissioner Ken Lay said police were actively targeting the issue but people needed to take more responsibility and think twice before leaving valuables in their cars.
“If a thief looks into your car and sees no items of interest they will simply keep walking,” Mr Lay said.
“However, if they spot some valuables it only takes 20 to 30 seconds to break the window, reach in and steal something.
“Nowadays, there are various methods of shattering glass without making noise or alerting passers by, so thefts often go undetected.”
Victoria Police statistics highlight that nearly half of cars have been accessed via smashing a window. “That is why it is so important that you remove all valuables from your car, even if you are only going to be away for a short period of time.”
Since 2001, vehicle theft has cost Victoria more than $103 billion.
The most common items stolen are cash, mobile phones, wallets and laptop computers.
There has also been a dramatic increase in the theft of navigational equipment (GPS units) with the offences almost tripling and MP3 player thefts have also sharply risen. “Motorists often place their GPS device in the glove box, however the cradle is generally left attached to the windscreen, which signals to thieves that it may be worth their time to break in and look for the device,” Mr Lay said.
Another item most commonly stolen is laptop computers and one of the biggest complaints people have is not so much the loss of the laptop, but the loss of the information, such as family photos, videos and work documents.
“There are many easy steps people can take to protect their cars and belongings, whether they be immobilisers or simply ensuring that all windows and doors are locked.”
Theft of motor vehicles was down 9.5 per cent last financial year and 60.7 per cent since 2000/01.