Four car theft repeat offenders arrested

Four men connected to vehicle thefts have been arrested as part of targeted police operations.

One of the men has been arrested three times in the last six weeks for theft-related matters. He has been formally charged in relation to two of those incidents.

Superintendent Roje Williams said: “Police have apprehended recidivist offenders who have been targeting communities and stealing thousands of dollars of tools, jewellery and cash from vehicles.

“Reports of thefts from vehicles have increased significantly over recent months, and we are now seeing this escalate to theft of vehicles.

“These offenders are known to police and often have complex personal issues that lead to their recidivist behaviour.”

The arrests were made on Thursday, 29 Sept., and on Monday, 2 Oct., according to a police press release.

It added that so far this year, police have received more than 100 reports of thefts from and of vehicles.

“Two of the men that were arrested were caught in possession of tools believed to be used to facilitate theft activity,” said Williams.

“We see this as a growing trend and believe offenders are resorting to breaking into vehicles as opposed to burglaries because they consider this a lesser crime, and possibly enabling them to get back onto the streets sooner and begin the cycle over again.”

Protect possessions

In the press release, police stressed the importance of being proactive to protect possessions, and gave six suggestions:

1. As a general rule, don’t leave valuable items in your vehicle.
2. If you have to store items in your vehicles, ensure they are not visible when your car is unattended.
3. Where possible, record serial numbers and keep photos of your valuables, or engrave unique markings in order that they can be identified more easily if a theft does occur, and for insurance purposes.
4. Always secure windows and lock the doors of vehicles when they are unattended – especially overnight.
5. Consider adding a vehicle alarm and/or CCTV cameras at your property as an additional measure if possible.
6. When not at home, park vehicles in well-lit areas and, if possible, in places with security cameras or security officers on site.

Anyone who experiences a theft from or of a vehicle can report the incident to police by contacting 911 or visiting the nearest police station.