Papers, & Statistics
Andrew London
Southern Courier
August 2000
A dramatic rise in home burglaries this year has prompted Maroubra police to target robbery hotspots, and urge residents to exercise greater vigilance in home security.
Latest figures from Maroubra police show a 26pc rise in reported break-ins since January this year, with thieves targeting densely populated areas such as Coogee, Kingsford and North Randwick.
Superintendent Kevin Rafferty from Eastern Beaches Local Area Command, said people living in flats and apartment blocks are at just as much risk of robbery as residents of free standing homes.
Supt. Rafferty said thieves were becoming more daring, and were prepared to scale walls and apartment block balconies in order to break into home units.
"Residents should not be complacent about security, or underestimate the brazenness of thieves wanting to steal" he said.
"Some people have a fairly lax attitude abut home security, just because they live in flats. They tend to leave their balcony doors and windows open, even their front doors".
"These people leave themselves extremely vulnerable. Thieves will climb up the outside of buildings, irrespective of the weather, and they are prepared to jump considerable heights to get away".
"Home robberies often occurred when victims were at home. A majority of break-ins occur between midnight and 3 am, with most robberies taking only 2 to 5 minutes to carry out"
"Thieves are very quick - they get in and they get out"
"A number of places are getting broken into during the day," he said. "Residents need to call us if they see anyone acting suspiciously around their buildings"
Supt. Rafferty also advised that residents should avoid using cheap locks, should install security systems, engrave their property, and record item serial numbers so stolen goods can be traced.
"Many of the victims are overseas visitors," he said. "These people often have a lot of people coming and going from their houses, and security is virtually zero."
"I can't believe that some people still leave notes on front doors telling tradesmen where the keys to their homes can be found. Even if residents don't indicate that, thieves will often check letterboxes and find hidden keys."
"People should start thinking like how a thief would think if they wanted to break in. The crooks aren't making up anything new. They are relying on the complacency of residents".
Supt. Rafferty said that he was pleased with investigations carried out by police over the past 3 months. Despite climbing robbery rates, he said the police had made 59 arrests and laid 137 charges for crimes including break-and-enter robberies, and goods in custody.
