Police are reminding Tasmanians to lock their homes and vehicles after an increase in opportunistic crime.

Police have recently charged a number of prolific offenders:

• Hobart Detectives charged one man with 17 home burglaries; and another man with 10 aggravated home burglaries 2 vehicles burglaries and 10 counts of stealing
• Western district Detectives recently charged three young people with a string of 12 motor vehicle burglaries, and
• Glenorchy Detectives recently charged a man with the burglary of 5 homes in Bellerive and the stealing of two motor vehicles.

“Car, home and business burglary is an opportunistic crime, offenders look for easy targets, said Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Joel, Southern District.

Police are encouraging residents to be extra vigilant in protecting their homes and property.

“Our Detectives are getting results but it’s important that people secure their vehicles and homes before going to bed at night, he said.”

Motor vehicle related crime is a continued focus for police, and our response includes, targeting recidivist offenders, implementing temporary taskforces as required and making owners’ part of the solution through education.

“There is a high number of concerning incidents of people leaving cars and homes unlocked or unsecured,” said Detective Senior Sergeant Ruth Orr.

From 1 July 2014:

• 37% of vehicles targeted by offenders in the Southern Region were left unlocked or unsecured.
• 59.7% of vehicles targeted by offenders in the Western Region were left unlocked or unsecured.
• 51.3% of the vehicles targeted by offenders in the Northern Region were found to be unlocked or unsecured.

Even though your vehicle is parked on your property or in your driveway doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be locked before you leave it. Property boundaries are no deterrent to thieves, but a locked vehicle is.

“The sad reality is that some people will help themselves to your property if opportunity arises. An open window or an unlocked door is exactly what offenders are looking for. We encourage everyone to lock your doors and windows and keep valuables out of sight,” said Detective Senior Sergeant Richard Chugg, Western District.

So many incidences of burglary and theft can be prevented with a few simple security measures.

The top five tips for preventing burglaries are:

• Make sure all doors and windows on your house and out-buildings are closed and locked with adequate locks.
• Keep bikes, tools and other equipment out of sight and locked away.
• Install security lights in the yard or leave lights on inside your home.
• If you are going away ask someone to collect the mail for you, keep an eye on your house and bring your rubbish bins in.
• Report any unusual activity, people or vehicles to police on 131 444, your information could be the very detail we are looking for to help prevent more burglaries.

Information can be reported to police on 131 444 or relayed anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.