Car smash-and-grab rise

By Kelly Yates
POLICE say they have been inundated with the amount of thefts from motor vehicles in Casey.
Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Gaskin said Narre Warren police were bombarded last weekend after 16 cars were broken into in Berwick, Narre Warren and Cranbourne.
He said train stations and undercover shopping centre car parks were the main hot spots in Casey with items such as global positioning system (GPS) units, laptop computers, wallets, cash, mobile phones, handbags and brief cases being the main targets.
Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Gaskin is warning drivers to stop playing into the hands of thieves by leaving valuables in vehicles.
“Most of the thefts are smash and grabs and it only takes the offender less than a minute to break in and steal an item,” he said.
“Ninety five per cent of offenders look into the car before they break in.”
Det Sen Sgt Gaskin said motorists often placed their GPS units 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.
“Motorists need to take both the device and holding bracket off the windscreen when they leave their cars,” he said.
In April, Casey police said that theft from motor vehicles was down by 65 per cent but Det Sen Sgt Gaskin said the figures had risen since then.
“We see an increase in the warmer months as people don’t seem to concentrate on what they are doing,” he said.
“The majority of thefts occur during the day.”
Det Sen Sgt Gaskin said that 12 months ago, uniform police delivered fliers to residents and businesses.
“The drop off did help but the community has since reverted back to their bad habits.”