By Aneeka Simonis
REPORTS of valuables being stolen from cars across Cardinia Shire are on the downward trend, Cardinia’s Crime Investigation Unit (CIU) statistics suggest.
From Monday 25 May to Sunday 31 May, police received two reports of property being stolen from cars and one report of number plate theft.
The week before, five incidents of property being stolen from cars parked across the Shire were received by police – the week before there were nine.
Cardinia’s CIU analyst Christine Wilde said one of the vehicles accessed by thieves in the past week showed no signs of forced entry.
“Over a two-and-a-half day period, an unknown offender has gained access to the victim’s vehicle, which was parked in the street, outside a residential address. A laptop was stolen which was left on the passenger seat,” she said.
There was no alarm fitted to the vehicle.
Crime statistic trends show Pakenham is a hotspot for opportunistic criminals across the entire region.
Though police are encouraged by the reduced number of thefts, they continue to urge drivers to lock their cars at all times and remove valuables from sight.
