Brimbank is the car theft capital of Victoria, according to new figures revealed by RACV last week.
Brimbank topped the region’s RACV 2014 stolen cars and malicious damage lists with 83 thefts and 78 vandalised vehicles.
RACV Insurance paid $3.9 million in claims to owners of 329 cars stolen in the metropolitan area in 2014.
The damage bill from another 434 maliciously damaged vehicles was $1.5 million.
Brimbank’s Senior Sergeant Fiona Curnow said car thefts or theft from motor vehicles were reported to police daily.
“It’s always a concern for police,” Senior Sergeant Curnow said.
“We have a vehicle crime taskforce that works from Sunshine police station whose sole responsibility is to tackle this sort of crime.”
Hotspots such as local shopping centres were constantly patrolled by the taskforce, Senior Sergeant Curnow said.
“This taskforce is about high visibility, talking to community members and local business owners,” she said. “They are always in uniform as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking about committing a crime.”
Senior Sergeant Curnow said Brimbank had a proactive unit that did an enormous amount of work in community education.
“Think about what you have left in the car. Ensure it is locked when you leave it and be mindful where you park your vehicle.”
Senior Sergeant Curnow said even things such as GPS units and loose change could make a vehicle a prime target, and such items needed to be removed or put out of sight.
Holden Commodores were the vehicles most likely to be targets of malicious damage and theft in Victoria, according to RACV figures.
Most malicious damage claims resulted from vandals breaking into cars, smashing windows, keying or scratching and denting.
