A distraught Albanvale couple has warned Brimbank residents to be on alert for thieves following a brazen daytime robbery.
Scott, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and insomnia and did not want his surname printed, said he was gutted to find a laptop, digital camera and iPod had been stolen after he and his partner left their house for a few hours to attend a counselling session on January 23.
“We’re not well and only go out very rarely,” he said. “I used the iPod to try to relax and go to sleep at night. Now I have nothing.
‘‘My partner is also a very keen photographer and it was her joy to take photographs. She is now without a camera or laptop to produce her photos on.”
Scott’s partner, Sarah, said somebody knocked on their door a few weeks before the theft and tried to wrench it open.
And she said neighbours had also been burgled recently.
Brimbank remains among the state’s most-burgled municipalities, despite rates being close to a five-year low.
A recent RACV study revealed Brimbank had four suburbs in the top-10 burglary hotspots, led by Ardeer, where one in 27 houses was burgled last financial year.
Scott urged Brimbank residents to keep watch for their neighbours and report suspicious behaviour to police.
“The community of Brimbank should be made aware these types of criminals could be targeting properties in the area,” he said. ‘‘I already suffer from extreme anxiety and this has been heightened. I don’t feel safe here.’’
Caroline Springs police Senior Sergeant Kerin Moloney said that even though residential burglary rates had declined, the community had an important role to play.
“We ask the community to report any suspicious behaviour and to have a basic security strategy for their homes,” he said.
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