After a spike in theft from cars and homes across the Latrobe Valley, police are reminding residents to lock their vehicles and houses or risk losing valuable property.
Data from the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency reveals theft from motor vehicles spiked a huge 34% in the Latrobe local government area last year, while other theft jumped 22%.
At a recent meeting of the Latrobe City Community Safety Advisory Committee, police advised much of the theft was opportunistic.
“We’ve been told a lot of this crime is occurring because cars and homes are being left unlocked,” Mr Cameron said.
“In some cases, people are walking through unlocked front doors or garages, grabbing car keys off the bench and driving off in the owner’s car.
“Police are urging people to be vigilant and encouraging everyone to always lock their cars and houses.
“I know we all like to think we don’t need to ‘lock up’ in regional Victoria, but the statistics show we do need to.
“We can also alleviate some of the pressure on our local police by taking these simple measures and preventing a lot of this opportunistic theft.”
