Wyndham police were out en masse patrolling railway station carparks earlier this month in a crackdown on car thefts across the city.
Wyndham’s vehicle crime reduction team, general duties and transit police detected 33 offences during Operation Railway.
The five-day operation particularly targeted vehicle thefts in and around carparks at train stations and Werribee Plaza.
Police arrested four people with outstanding warrants, two for theft from motor vehicles, three for theft of motor vehicles, one for theft, three for assaults and one for a threat to kill. A further 11 people were caught for driving unregistered vehicles, six for license-related offences and two for speeding-related offences.
Detective Acting Sergeant Mick Welsh of Wyndham’s vehicle crime reduction team said Hoppers Crossing, Werribee and Williams Landing train station carparks, along with those at Werribee Plaza, were hotspots for vehicle crime.
He said the sheer number of vehicles left unattended for long periods at carparks every day proved a treasure trove for car thieves.
Detective Acting Sergeant Welsh said loose change, GPS devices and mobile phones were
among the most commonly stolen items, with thieves mainly gaining access through unlocked car doors.
“We believe that, during the course of this operation, there was a reduction in reported theft from and of motor vehicles in those locations.”
National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council figures reveal 1779 cars were stolen across Wyndham between 2010 and 2014.
Hoppers Crossing topped the list for the most cars stolen in 2014, with 120 cars, while Werribee (103 car thefts), Point Cook (59), Tarneit (44) and Truganina (36) rounded out the top five hotspots.
Detective Acting Sergeant Welsh called on drivers to lock their cars and to take away, or hide, any valuables rather than leaving them on view.
He also warned drivers using a GPS device to clean their windscreen to remove any tell-tale marks.
