A blitz at the Watergardens and Woodgrove shopping centre car parks last week had more than 60 police taking drivers to task for not securing their cars and valuables.
Brimbank and Melton police joined forces for Operation Combine to raise community awareness of vehicle-related crime, including car theft and theft from cars.
Drivers were given one-way screws for their number plates and cautioned on the need to lock their cars and keep valuables hidden. Even the police mounted branch got in on the action.
Victoria Police statistics reveal more than 3600 reported thefts from cars across the two municipalities in the 12 months to March – 2408 in Brimbank and 1203 in Melton.
A recent Star Weekly report revealed about 20 per cent of all thefts from cars in Brimbank were from unlocked vehicles.
Acting Inspector Greg Hinton said train station car parks were hotspots for vehicle theft and it was important that drivers do everything to prevent opportunistic stealing.
“They need to take responsibility for their possessions; look, lock and leave,’’ he said.
Crime prevention officer Matthew Mudie said money, GPS devices and other valuables were stolen from cars simply because they were left visible.
National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council executive director Ray Carroll said people driving older cars, including Honda Accords, Nissan Pulsars, Toyota Camrys and Holden Commodores, should consider installing an immobiliser or using a club lock.
“Non-immobilised cars have twice the theft rate of immobilised cars,” he said.
