By BRIDGET COOK
CASEY police hope that urging insurance and credit card providers to refuse compensation claims when valuables are stolen from unlocked cars will push motorists to secure their vehicles.
That is why the Casey Crime Investigation Unit (CIU) plans to lead a push to urge banks and insurers to not pay out in these circumstances, in a bid to tackle the problem.
Casey CIU Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Rollo said police were frustrated at the high number of thefts reported from cars because people simply don’t lock their vehicles.
This week, Victoria Police released the latest crime statistics which revealed that theft from cars was up by 6.2 per cent in the area.
In 2013, there were 1698 reports of theft from cars in Casey and 595 cars were stolen.
Det Sen Sgt Rollo said it was a problem across Casey, but worse in the Cranbourne, Doveton and Endeavour Hills areas.
“We want to lead a push to stop people from leaving their cars open,” he said.
“In the majority of the thefts from cars, we are finding that the doors were simply left open.
“That is why we will urge insurance companies to not pay out if someone’s car was left unlocked, and the same with credit card companies, if a card is stolen from an unlocked car.
“It’s also a similar situation with tradies leaving their trailers full of tools open.”
Det Sen Sgt Rollo said while some thieves still forced their entry into cars, it wasn’t as common any more.
“We don’t see as many smashed windows, it’s simply because people leave their car open,” he said.
“It’s often youths walking the streets, just testing to see if cars are open as they walk past.”
An Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) spokesperson urged owners to ensure their cars were locked when not in use to help thwart vehicle theft and the loss of personal belongings.
“Many comprehensive insurance policies do not cover the theft of items from a motor vehicle,” the spokesperson said.
“Other policies offer only limited cover for personal items, and this may exclude items such as laptops, computers, mobile phones and satellite navigation units.
“Your motor vehicle policy may not cover anything that can easily be removed and stolen from the vehicle, including personal property such as a briefcase, laptop or mobile device.
“Ideally, you should not leave valuable items in your car.
“However, if you have to, make sure items are out of sight of potential thieves. Most thefts are opportunistic and by hiding any valuables from sight you are considerably reducing the chance that your items will be stolen.”
