Opportunistic thieves search unlocked cars again in city's north

Detective Acting Sergeant Nick Jones, of the Warrnambool police crime investigation unit, said three cars were targeted in the thefts overnight Monday, July 15, 2024.

"Handbags and other items left in the unlocked vehicles were stolen," he said.

Detective Acting Sergeant Jones said the offending happened in the Moore Street area near the Brierly Recreation Reserve.

"A couple of weeks ago we had similar offending in the same area - whether that is linked we don't know at this stage," he said.

Vehicle and contents thefts have spiked in Victoria with more than 21,400 vehicle thefts, or attempted thefts, recorded in the 12 months to March 2024 according to Victoria's Crime Statistics Agency.

The detective said if cars were locked overnight they were unlikely to be targeted by opportunistic thieves.

Common items left behind in cars include wallets, phones, handbags, laptops and cash.

The detective urged residents to lock up and asked anyone with information or CCTV footage in the city's north to contact Warrnambool police or Crime Stoppers.