Number plate thefts are on the rise in Wyndham, making up more than half of all recent thefts from motor vehicles.
Acting Inspector Damien Madden said in one week alone last month, 25 number plate thefts were recorded, accounting for 52 per cent of all thefts from motor vehicles.
Acting Inspector Madden said offenders were using stolen number plates to commit other crimes, including petrol thefts.
“We haven’t seen it [number plate theft] that high before,” he said. “It’s really becoming a problem for us and for the people having their plates stolen.
“This is still by far the biggest issue for us …to get 25 reports [in a week] around number plate theft is really frustrating for the owner of the car but also for the flow-on effect around the use of those plates in other offences.
“The best thing the community can do is swap their number plate screws over for the one-way screws.”
Spike in thefts from cars
The spike comes at the same time police are tackling a higher than usual number of thefts from motor cars. More than 200 cars were broken into across Wyndham in January, with phones, wallets, satellite navigation systems and sunglasses among the most pilfered items.
Acting Inspector Madden said thefts from motor vehicles were trending down slightly from the beginning of this year but were still happening at a much higher rate than usual. “It’s tracking a little bit less than what it was last month, but not substantially different.”
Acting Inspector Madden said train station carparks across the city had been targeted, and cars parked in residential streets and driveways were also being broken into.
Crime prevention officer Craig McDonald urged residents to remove valuables from their cars and ensure their cars were locked.
“If you remove the temptation, you remove yourself from being a potential victim,” Leading Senior Constable McDonald said.
