Bunbury Police are urging community members to remain alert and take precautions to avoid car break-ins.
Acting Senior Sergeant Alan Armstrong told the Mail their daily crime statistics had revealed a spike in car break-ins in areas across Bunbury.
“We’ve had a bit of spate in the East Bunbury and South Bunbury areas,” he said.
“It’s quite prevalent in those two areas at the moment. We review crime statistics daily and we can see patterns forming in those areas.
“We’re urging people to be mindful and to take out any goods from their vehicles. That would be appreciated.
“There are people on push bikes or walking around the streets late at night targeting vehicles on the road.
“If they have seen anyone in the area acting suspicious, walking around or on push bikes, we would appreciate it if they would let us know, as well.”
Acting Senior Sergeant Armstrong said the culprits were seen as “opportunists” and would frequently break windows to remove items from compartments including glove boxes.
He said many culprits regularly committed car break-ins to supplement drug habits.
Carey Park resident Tom Bumann’s vehicle was the target of a break-in earlier this month.
Mr Bumann said thieves broke the driver’s side window of his Landcruiser in the early hours of September 2, before rummaging through the vehicle and removing a dash-cam and a go-pro.
He said they tried to break into another vehicle on his property before leaving the premises.
One neighbour’s CCTV system spotted the culprit leaving the area on a bicycle.
He said three other residences in the area had been targeted overnight.
“I knocked off night shift, got home around 5.30am, and, at around 6am, my partner heard a ‘pop’,” he said.
“The car was a mess because I was getting it fixed up for our South Australia trip, so the culprit messed it up a bit more by emptying out the centre console and the glove compartment.”
Anyone with information about car break-ins in their area can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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