Ardeer residents have been put on alert after it was revealed the suburb was the top burglary hotspot in Melbourne in the past year.
A survey by insurer RACV found one in 25 Ardeer properties was broken into during the 2013-14 financial year, with Williams Landing not far behind.
Braybrook also made the ‘top 10’, with one in 34 properties burgled. The figures, based on Victoria Police crime statistics and Census data, reveal the average number of homes burgled across Victoria was one in 73.
RACV general manager of home services Peter Brindley said it was the third consecutive year that Ardeer had featured prominently in the top 10, which was dominated by suburbs across the west and north.
Mr Brindley called on home owners to be more proactive in securing their properties against thieves, and said window locks, sensor lights and monitored home security systems were proven deterrents against burglaries and the best way to avoid the financial cost and emotional trauma of break-ins.
“It’s important to consider potential hiding spots you may create for thieves,” Mr Brindley said.
“By having clear paths to the front door, it’s easy to see when someone is straying into areas they shouldn’t. Make sure that the side entrance to your home is protected by a solid gate with a lock on it so that it’s not easy to enter.”
Victoria Police figures reveal there were 1416 residential burglaries across Brimbank during 2013-14 – down 5.4 per cent from the previous year.
Release of the data follows a recent spate of burglaries across Brimbank and Melton, during which thieves stole many garage remotes from cars to burgle garages.
Brimbank proactive policing unit’s Leading Senior Constable Matthew Mudie said, in some instances, the offenders were gaining access to properties through internal doors connecting garages to houses.
